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Showing posts from April, 2013

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Green tea - my new friend

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One of the things I had bought at Costco was a massive box of green tea because I've read that there are a lot of benefits to drinking it regularly. So far I haven't noticed a difference physically but I have to say that it is really pleasant to drink. It tastes really good - I don't even add honey. I've been drinking two cups a day and I do notice that I don't crash in the afternoons like I usually do. When/if I notice anything more I will be sure to post about it!

Pumpkin pie oatmeal

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I saw this online somewhere and decided to give it a try. I think I still like my cinnamon and blueberries in my oatmeal but this was a nice alternative. Make your oatmeal as directed on the package. Add 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin and 1/2 a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. I added a bit of my coconut oil for sweetness but you could add maple syrup or honey instead.

Too many Costco trips

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Last night I went to Costco again and I promised myself I was only getting 3 things: lettuce, sports bras, and cat litter. Of course that nevers happens when you're shopping at Costco and I ended up spending the same as last week! However, I bought some new sweaters and new shoes for walking to work. I'm also really  happy with my food choices last night. I got home and cooked up a garden burger: while this was cooking I had some cottage cheese. My mom was coming to pick me up and I wasn't that hungry yet so I put the burger in a container and took it with me. Also in my bag was 1/4 cup of my trail mix and my water bottle. My parents ate at Costco and I sat there thinking about my burger in the car :) When I got home I was fairly hungry though but it was late so I threw together this salad: romaine and red leaf lettuce, craisins, walnuts, and strawberries. Topped with a wee bit of Kraft raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It was so good and was nice and light shor

Back in the game

I am FINALLY feeling better! I don't have pneumonia - just a viral lung infection, haha. I got a prescription inhaler I need to use for 2 weeks but working out actually seems to clear my sinuses and makes me feel better. Last night I did ZWOW #25 (ouch, my butt and legs) and Turbo Fire 30. It felt so good to be back at it and I had so much energy while doing the Turbo Fire. I've been bad with my diet again lately: went to dinner on Friday night and ordered a salad but also a "healthy" pizza which had a whole grain thin crust, loads of spinach, tomatoes, onions, and chicken, and light on the cheese. It was really good and was comparitively healthy compared to most other pizzas but I still felt 'ick' from eating it a few days later. Yesterday was the last day of my training class so of course we ordered... PIZZA and salad. I had mostly salad and only had two slices of the thin crust veggie pizza but of course I pushed myself and grabbed another slice lol. I

Sick of being sick

Happy Sunday friends :) Since being sick I have still been working out because I'm seeing awesome results from being strict about my eating habits again. I didn't want to throw it off but it's inevitable that you need rest when you're sick - so today I am actually resting. I had ZWOW #25 all written out and everything but decided against it. My nose is all runny and I have the phlegmy cough so rest it is. Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor to make sure it isn't pneumonia again like I had in January. I find it really funny that I'm now having a hard time resting when I'm sick when I had a hard time getting my ass off the couch when I felt fine a year ago. I've made a lot of changes in the past year and I couldn't be happier. In the last year I have changed my eating habits starting March 2012, starting exercising regularly, ended a toxic relationship, and moved out on my own. I wish I had made a lot of these changes earlier but you learn from yo

What is a real woman?

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Someone on my fit group posted a workout video from Amanda Russell and asked if anyone else thought she was alarmingly thin (concerned for her health) and so someone else posted a video response she posted because a lot of viewers have said hurtful things about her slight frame. I watched the response video and I love the message they had in it. It wasn't just addressing her small frame - they talk about a lot of things that I think are important to keep in mind when you're on this amazing journey.

Blueberry oatcake

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I found this recipe in Self magazine . I had to change it up a bit because I didn't have any egg whites thawed out. So I used 2 eggs instead of the egg whites. But here is the recipe from Self: 4 egg whites 1/2 c. rolled oats 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp water 1/3 c. blueberries 1 T almonds Whisk the first for ingredients for 1 minute Add in the blueberries and almonds and stir. Heat a medium skillet (oiled; I used my coconut oil) over medium heat. Cook the batter until eggs are set on the bottom (about 3 minutes) and flip the oatcake. Cook for another minute or until its nicely browned. Top with 1/4 c. non fat plain Greek yogurt and a teaspoon of honey. I didn't add the topping because I made this for my mom and she wasn't up yet :) Enjoy! You could probably use this as a base for making oat muffins as well. If you like it sweeter you could add some honey before cooking it. Enjoy!!

Costco run of new things!

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Alright, so last night I went to Costco with my mom - it was a more expensive run compared to my usual. I did buy quite a few things though that will last a while. I bought a few new things this time that I'm already quite excited about after just one day. On my table/fridge: egg whites almond butter trail mix non fat plain Greek yogurt frozen fruit salad cottage cheese bananas frozen blueberries unsalted butter cucumbers light Havarti cheese slices coconut oil green tea rotisserie chicken apples (in the fruit basket) avocados (in the fruit basket) box of frozen chicken breast (not pictured) 2.5 dozen eggs (not pictured) grape tomatoes (not pictured) I've been getting into smoothies as an evening snack or if I have a really light dinner I'll have a smoothie on the side so that's what the frozen fruit salad is for. I bought the green tea because I've read it helps your metabolism but mostly because I've read/heard that it gi

Broiled grapefruit and Greek yogurt

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Last night I was going through my fitness magazines for some meal ideas because I'm finally getting bored of the same thing over and over and I found this little tasty treat. It almost tastes like dessert. It's a perfect pick-me-up for my afternoon snack. Ingredients: 1 grapefruit 2 tsp honey cinnamon 3/4 c. non fat plain Greek yogurt Turn your broiler to high. Wash your grapefruit and cut it half. I had to cut the bottom of one half so it would sit properly. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of honey on each side and sprinkle with cinnamon. Broil them for 4 minutes and they come out all toasty and smell delicious. While the grapefruit is in the oven get your yogurt ready. The recipe called for 3/4 of a cup of Greek yogurt but I only used half a cup. I had this for my snack today and my evening snack last night. I have been trying not to eat in the evening but it was a lovely treat before bed. When the grapefruit is done, cut/scoop out the pieces (which was fairly d

A variation of my protein bars

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The other night I made a batch of my protein bites but I was missing a few ingredients to I decided to switch it up. Here's the original recipe and this is the 'new' one :) (the *'s are the changes I made). I was out of coconut oil so I didn't use that. chop the following: 1 T almonds 4 halves of walnuts 2 T raisins* You can process the rest but I wanted them in whole pieces for mine: 1/2 c. oats (I used quick oats) 1/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut 1 T flaxseed 2 T almond butter 2 tsp honey* 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder half a banana, mashed* 1 T chia seeds* Press into a pan, the bigger the pan the thinner it will be. If you prefer a thicker bar use a smaller pan. This time I also used some coconut on top for decoration. It's so pretty!!

Sick/rest day workout

I've come down with an awful sickness again. I took a rest day yesterday and was going to today but it honestly feels strange to not workout when I have the time. So after browsing through my health magazines (recipes to come) I decided to do a light workout. I didn't break a sweat from this so it was just a nice, slow paced workout to make me feel less guilty lol. I used 2 resistance bands (one with handles and one normal plain one) and my equalizers. 10 push ups 10 crunches 10 oblique crunches (each side) with resistance band: 10 each direction on each leg forward, backward, side 10 pulls downs (pecs) with resistance band 20 squats 10 tricep dips (EQ) 10 knee ups (EQ) 10 straight abs resistance band: 10 of each on each earm bicep curls tricep extension lawn mower pulls oblique twists Tomorrow I'm going to Costco with my mama so I probably won't have time to workout. I guess this week is going to be an easy go week. I'm making a new breakfast tomorrow that I fou

mushroom soup

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Today I am taking an involuntary rest day :( It started last night and progressively got worse over the course of the day. My throat is so sore it hurts to talk. So when I got home from work I changed into jammies and went to my fridge to start making some homemade soup. As I mentioned in my recipe for the stuffed chicken breasts ( check them out here ) I had half the stuffing left  since I only thawed 3 chicken breasts. I had every intention of making a chicken noodle soup but I had a little less than half a can of mushroom soup that needed to be used. So I chopped up: stalk of celery half a carrot 2 T onion 1 tsp garlic Saute the onion in olive oil (or butter) on low heat until it's soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the garlic and wait a minute before you add the celery and carrot. Let them soften up before adding the soup and water. Add in the soup and equal parts water. Since I had the brown rice, soup, and spinach mixture already I added that in to use it u

banana hammock! :)

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Yesterday I said I would post a picture of my new container that I was so excited about and here it is!: It says it fits 98% of bananas haha. I HATE when I take my banana out at work and it's all bruised and sad looking. I found this one at Home Outfitters but I'm sure they have them elsewhere too.

stuffed chicken breasts

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Last night I was thinking about how I can change up chicken breasts. I came up with brown rice and spinach stuffed chicken breasts. I only thawed 3 small chicken breasts so I ended up with lots of the stuffing left. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet - maybe try freezing it? Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350F 3 chicken breasts, boneless skinless 1 c. cooked brown rice 2 c. chopped fresh spinach 3/4 c. canned mushroom soup 1/4 c. chopped onion paprika chili powder garlic powder pepper Mix everything together in a bowl, not the chicken obviously ;) Cut the breasts in half so they become a little envelope. I don't have a meat tenderizer so I used my porcelain spoon rest (haha, creative right?). Spoon the filling into the pocket being careful not to add too much so they can still close. If I had tooth picks I would have used them like staples to keep them closed. Lay them out on a pan and drizzle some olive oil on them. Add spices of your liking - I

My equipment *wish* list

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UGI ball  - frequently used is Bodyrock/DailyHIIT videos Fitbit - pedometer and calorie tracker. This particular model will be able to monitor sleep too, which is a frequent problem for me. Nike fuel band  - same as above but displays the time as well. Polar heart rate and calorie burn tracker - the previous two don't monitor your heart rate like this one does. ( this one is a bit cheaper but doesn't track as much as the other) **I won't buy all of the three trackers... I'm going to decide on one of the haha**

Sunday funday

I love my Sundays - when I  don't have anything planned. It's my relax day. My workout day. My chore day. I can get everything done that I want to and I don't have to rush. I can mosey around my apartment and get distracted with cleaning, organizing, etc. It's also my day to do laundry and do any cleaning that needs to be done. You get your home all ready for the busy week ahead so you can come home to your sanctuary. Living alone has definitely helped considering I barely have to clean anymore... basically only vacuuming since I find a pile of Dexter (my cat) behind the couch every once in a while. Sunday is also my day that I usually like to do my grocery shopping. You restock your fridge with healthy yummy food, plan out your week, and prepare all you meals and snacks. I love being organized. It not only saves times but it prevents you from making bad decisions. I don't keep much in my cupboards when it comes to 'unhealthy' food but there are still

How to calculate your intake percentages (fat, carbs, protein)

I'm pleased to report that I did not give in to the cookies or gummy worms in the training class yesterday. I'm also doing really good today. Not even tempted to touch them. I keep reminding myself that I'll never have the abs I'm going for if I don't stop putting that crap in my body lol. I also got my 2 missed subscriptions (from moving) for Health magazine and they suggest to keep your sugar intake to 10% of your calories. This is something that my cousin showed me how to calculate and it's actually pretty neat. I can use myfitnesspal to calculate my percentages for the day since it displays what my totals are. So for yesterday my total calories for the day were (approx) 1596. Carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram, and fats have 9 calories per gram. So you take your daily total for the 3 and multiply it by the corresponding calories. Example: fat: 29 x 9 = 261 carbs: 268 x 4 = 1072 protein: 78 x 4 =312 I add all these up for a more accurate

grilled: sweet potatoes and seasoned chicken breast

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Last night I prepped food for my lunches and I had sweet potatoes that needed to be used. My mom bought me a lovely stone/grill that can be used on stove top and in the oven. For the sweet potatoes: pre heat oven to 375F wash them first, then slice them into 1" thick slices and lay them out on the pan/grill brush with olive oil (or any oil you like), season with pepper, wee bit of salt, and garlic powder pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes and check on them. Flip them when they have nice grill marks put them back in for another 10-15 minutes or until they're the tenderness you enjoy For the chicken breasts: thaw them out (or almost: mine were still a tiny bit frozen since I took them out after work) cut off any excess fat (ick) and lay them on the pan/grill season both sides with: salt and pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and chili powder with your oven still at 350F, put them in for 15 minutes check on the grill marks and flip them. Return

'2 ingredient' pancakes

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I was browsing on Pinterest last night and found this recipe. I also remembered that my friend Sarah also posted her variation of this on her blog as well. So I decided to give it a try. The base is two ingredients and then you can add whatever you want in them. I like my blueberries and cinnamon, so that is what I added. 2 bananas 2 eggs 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cocoa powder 1 T flax seed 1/3 c. frozen blueberries Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and scoop just less than the full cup. Pour into an oiled pan. Pre-heated on medium heat. If you let the batter sit for a few minutes, you will get the little bubbles that normally form in pancakes which are a wonderful little built in timer of when to flip them :) I found them a bit hard to flip so next time I might add a wee bit of flour, just to help bind the ingredients. Ta-da! You have healthy, guilt-free pancakes. I entered the recipe into MyFitnessPal as 2 pancakes per serving (my recipe made 10 pancakes) and

Making changes

Happy Sunday everyone! I got a killer workout in today: ZWOW #21, Turbo Fire HIIT 25, and TF Stretch 10. It felt so great to get a nice long workout in. Last week I made some changes to my daily routine since this layer of fat on my abs will NOT go away. My snacking in the afternoon and the evening were a big problem. I would normally snack an hour after my lunch and then after dinner I would be snacking before going to bed. So what I've been doing is writing down what time I'm eating and making sure I'm not eating too soon because I'm bored and not hungry yet. The schedule I've been using as a guideline is: 7:00AM - breakfast 2-3 hours - snack 2-3 hours - lunch 2-3 hours - snack 2-3 hours - dinner You'll notice that there are only 5 times instead of the 6 that I used to follow. I really feel that this has been working and I'm excited to see what kind of changes will happen in the next week. I do notice so far that the line at the top of my abs ha

Groceries!

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  Last night I went grocery shopping... I'm getting into a bad habit of buying too much at once again. There are too many choices!!! I want them all!! I guess we'll see how much goes bad on me but luckily I have produce savers - I'm hoping these will help me.  Last night's haul was: frozen yogurt (for treats) 1% milk walnut halves eggs grape tomatoes fat free coffee creamer yogurt beef for stir fry brown rice craisins (for salads) flax seed lemons grapes trail mix bananas cottage cheese hummus black olives from the deli bar avocado veggie steamer (I'm quite excited to try it) marble rolling pin! I bought the avocados because I'm trying to get more fat in my diet. I'm also trying to get more nuts in there too (walnuts, pumpkin seeds, anything besides peanuts). I made another stir fry last night for about 2.5 meals worth: 2 lunches and one small/light dinner. I also ended up taking a rest day yesterday