Tasty Tuesday

Since I have started the 21-day fix challenge we have been eating in a lot.  (My wallet is very appreciative of that.  I used to eat out for lunch ever day.)  For this "life-style change" as the program likes to call it, you really must prep your food.  While it possible to eat out and stay on the system it makes life much easier if you organize what you eat ahead of time.  It takes the thinking out of eating.  

 For the most part my breakfast and lunches stay the same.  Breakfast I tend to eat two different things.  The days that I have cheer until late I usually have a whole wheat waffle with peanut butter and half a banana.  On the days that I know I am having dinner at home I drink my tropical strawberry shakeology.  Some people in the program just mix it with water or almond milk and are good to go.  I have to have mine like a smoothie.  I add a scoop of the mix with frozen fruit and water into my bullet and give it a spin in two seconds its done and it tastes really good.

For lunch I make a salad every day.  I switch up the veggies but for the most part it stays the same.  Right now I am in a pickled beet kick and add them to every salad when I can.

Dinner is when I get to "spice" it up when we don't have cheer. That isn't very often so I still like to have a quick and easy receipt to whip up.  Last week my mom helped me out while I was at one of Madeline's activities and  threw several chicken breasts in a pot filled with low sodium chicken broth and spices and let simmer for a few hours. When they were done cooking she shredded them and left them in the fridge for me to warm up throughout the week.  (I really have a great mom!)

To warm it up literally took five minutes.  The chicken still had some of the liquid from the broth so I didn't have to add anything to the small frying pan.  I just let the chicken warm up.  One night I added Pete's Hot sauce and it was out of this world.  Another night I just left it plain.  Add a couple of veggies to your plate and you have a delicious meal.  

With the shredded chicken you really could do anything.  I need to make more and this week I'm thinking chicken tacos.  Madeline is picky so I think I'll throw her chicken into a corn tortilla and make a quesadilla for her.  

Workout Wednesday

I missed last weeks workout Wednesday since we were in Disney so I am going to double up a bit.

The week before Easter I did my usual workouts of kickboxing and boot camp.  That Friday before at boot camp we were taken to the back parking lot to be tortured work out.  We each stood in a parking spot and were made to run sprints between the spot where we stood to the one in front of us for a minute.  We then rested for a minute.  We continued this for ten rounds.  As if that wasn't enough depending on how many sprints we did the instructor deducted the total amount from 150.  Whatever was remaining in my case 42 was how many burpees you had to do. Fun times!  The next day I woke up feeling achy but went to kickboxing anyways, hoping that I would sweat out whatever I may be getting.  Sunday was Easter and my usual rest day so I didn't do anything.

Monday we left for Disney and while I didn't actually work out we did walk A LOT! Walking the parks for hours while pushing a stroller and carrying a two year old while waiting in line should count for something.  We got back from Disney Thursday night.  I had every intention of going to boot camp that following Friday.  My body had other plans.  I woke up Friday feeling like death.  Obviously working out was not in the cards for me.  Saturday I felt better but still not 100% so I didn't push myself.  I wanted to rest and recuperate.  Sunday I did the same.  

This past Monday was my son's birthday and I obviously wasn't going to make it to workout at the gym.  Instead I went for a quick run.  Last night I jumped back in and went to boot camp.  It was all upper body and I am definitely feeling it today.  For thirty minutes we had to do a combination of wall balls, ball slams, kettle bell rows (lawn mower exercise) on each arm, and push ups.  We started at 10 reps and increased it by five each round.  I used a 10 pound ball for the wall balls and ball slams and a 15 pound kettle bell for the rows.  After not working out for a week I was proud of myself for getting up to 25 reps.  

Food wise I've done OK considering I was in Disney for four days.  Everything I ate the weekend of Easter was basically erased since I got sick from over doing it.  Disney I can't say that I did too bad except for our day at Epcot.  It was the Flower and Garden Show and they always have special food and drinks.  That was my worse day and I didn't do to to bad since the portions are pretty small.  When we returned and because I got sick again I has zero appetite. Thankfully I am back on track and doing better.  Last night we had a yummy turkey meatloaf. 

I want to try and get back to eating more at home.  I need to start planning my meals ahead.  Lets see how this new goal  goes.

Workout Wednesday

My goal is to get toned, build some muscle, and to eat clean. Moving my household towards a more clean way of eating is also on my priority list.  I would like to think that we ate clean about 75% of the time.  I have to be realistic; I work full time, have two children, a husband, I go to school, and I need to fit in work outs at least five times a week.  Eating clean 100% of the time just doesn't work for me.  So there are times that my kids will have chick-fil-a or have the Tyson chicken tenders (Hey at least they are made with whole wheat bread crumbs)

 

Last week I achieved my workout goal.  I worked out six days last week and did my PumpUp App routine.  I was also able to go to boot camp on Friday night and last night.  I was very proud that I made it to boot camp last night because I really just wanted to stay home with the kids and watch Frozen-not to mention my sunburn that was being rubbed by my sports bra.  Thursday night was my rest day since we had the carnival and I was still ridiculously sore from boot camp the Tuesday before.  Sunday I did a three mile run to practice for my 5K this weekend. 

 

Food wise I can't complain.  Although I must admit I think I have a small addiction to peanut butter! I'm pretty sure I over do it on a daily bases.  I easily have three to four tablespoons.  Since I can't have sweets my go to thing lately is vanilla Greek yogurt with a scoop of peanut butter. 

 

At the carnival I was good and had grilled chicken on a stick one night and a corn on the cob the other.  Staid strong and didn't touch any sweets, although the funnel cake and the ice cream cone Madeline had looked amazing.  Due to time crunches a couple of time through out the weekend I substituted a meal for a smoothie that consisted of kale, almond milk or low sugar orange juice, berries, and Greek yogurt.  We also had a lot of left overs from all the different meals I made the week before which made eating dinner much easier. 

 

My next project is to get a measuring tape to take my measurements to see my progress.  

 

Happy Wednesday Everyone! 

Workout Wednesday

I thought it would be a nice incentive for me to start writing down what I do throughout the week in regards to working out and how I do with my eating habits.  This way maybe I will use my PumpUp app, the kettle bell I just made my husband buy me, and some of those workouts that I pin on Pinterest more often.

 

Work out wise I think I did a very good job this past week.  I worked out six days leaving Sunday to rest.  I used my PumpUp app once last week since I had a birthday party to go to Friday night and I didn't have time to go to the gym. The other nights I went to kickboxing. Last night I did a bootcamp class that kicked my butt.  Going up a single step feels like a struggle.  Since I really am trying to tone up rather then loose weight I want to try and switch out my Tuesday kickboxing class to the bootcamp.  The only problem with that is it is in the middle of bedtime so it is up to my husband to put our daughter to bed.  

 

As for the food.  For the most part I do good.  Breakfast for the most part is either my over-night oats or a whole wheat English muffin and my coffee. Lunch varies from a salad, green smoothie, or on the rare occasion a sandwich.  My go to snacks are hummus, plain rice cake with peanut butter, banana with peanut butter, or a fruit.  Dinner is when a vary the most and this past week we cooked a lot at home and tried several different recipes I had found on Pinterest.  Last Wednesday was the start of Lent so we made a shrimp stir-fry with brown rice.  Thursday for dinner I made a turkey and quinoa meatloaf, steamed carrots, and a salad.  Friday was another story.  I went to a South cooking restaurant and tried a little of everything.  Crab hush puppies, shrimp and grits, corn bread, collared greens. Not to mention a sweet alcoholic drink.  Saturday and Sunday nothing was out of the ordinary.  Monday we had spaghetti squash with a red sauce which had chicken sausage and zucchini in it. (Delicious!!) Last night I made a quinoa chili-also very good.  (I promise not to go through every single meal all the time.  Only when I try a new recipe.)

 

Right now I have been off of sweets for a week and I swear they pop up every where.  I tend to sneak a piece or two of some kind of sweet through out my day so I am interested in seeing if this sacrifice ends up being beneficial. 

 

We have the carnival this week and a wedding so lets see how I do next week.  Happy Wednesday!

Who would have thought

When I started this blog I never in a million years thought I would be posting food recipes.  I am by far a chief and still have a very long way to go.  As a family we still tend to eat out more then we stay home and eat, but I am trying to work on that. 

 

Two nights ago I made kale chips.  I bought a huge bag a week ago and I didn't want it to go bad.  I use it in my smoothies but have been seeing so many recipes for chips that I decided to give it a go.  I was very pleased with the results.  Not only was it super easy and fast but they were really good. 

 

I grabbed a bunch of kale leaves and cut out the thick stem out.  Threw them in a glass bowl added about 1/2 a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil to the leaves and mixed them so that all leaves were coated.  I used my small convection oven to bake them which added to the convenience.   I laid them out and sprinkled kosher salt to them.  Ten minutes later they were done! Be careful with the time because they can burn.

 

Last night since it was Ash Wednesday and us Catholics aren't able to eat meat I picked up some shrimp from our local grocery store.  Public Supermarket will steam the shrimp for you and will add seasoning if you desire.  I left ours plain because my daughter is so picky.  I had some veggies in the refrigerator so I decided to make a stir-fry.  I grabbed some red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini and grilled them with chicken broth over the stove.  Tossed in the already steamed shrimp and ta-da.  Made some brown rice and called it a night. 
 

 

The kids ate the shrimp with teriyaki sauce and brown rice.  It wasn't any trouble to take a few shrimps aside and toss them in teriyaki sauce. 

Healthy Dinners, Kids Approved

Whenever I need a break from reality I go and search on Pinterest.  Whether it be for cute outfit ideas, workouts, school projects, or recipes.  I am by far a Martha Stewart in the kitchen.  Give me glitter and glue and I can make anything happen, but in the kitchen I'm a no go.  With that being said I am always looking for easy recipes that are healthy and my picky daughter will eat.  I am trying my hardest to move our family into a clean eating family.  Wish me luck!

 

I came across a creamy cauliflower sauce that I though would be great to try out on the kids.  My daughter loves pasta and could eat it every day.  Only bad part is she doesn't like red sauce which means less opportunities to sneak vegetables into her meal.  At least I have been able to switch our pasta to whole wheat.  She will however, eat it with butter and cheese, with olive oil and cheese, or with cheese sauce and more cheese.  (If you have haven't realized she LOVES cheese.  Just like her mommy.) Long story short it was a huge success!! I didn't mention anything, just added the sauce to her pasta and sprinkled fresh Parmesan cheese on top. 

 

On top of it being kid friendly it was super easy to make.  I got the recipe from a Pinch of Yum and followed it through.  I did use the vegetable broth instead of the water and added a drizzle of olive oil.  I am sure that is why the flavor was so good. 

 

I read the comments and heard that is freezes well.  I will definitely try that next time since now I know it is a hit in the household. 

Starting the day off right

I have said before and I'll say it again, I am NOT a morning person.  I wake up with just enough time to get dressed and out the house.  I am one of those people who does their make up in the car. Don't worry I wait until the light is red to do anything. 

That being said, I am always trying to think of things to eat for breakfast that is quick and healthy.  My smoothies in the morning is pretty easy when I make them the night before and blend it in the morning.  Sometimes those don't work because my son is still sleeping and I do not want to wake him.  He is a pretty light sleeper.  Instant oatmeal is always an option but that gets boring after a while.  Since I gave up bread for my challenge ( I need to follow up on that in a later post) my english muffin with peanut or almond butter and agave is out. Mmmm I miss that!

Per my usual to get more ideas I turned to pinterest.  Not only did I find a few great ideas but I found a great blog by another mom.  If you haven't tried over night oats and actually like oatmeal you are missing out.  It is quick and easy and tastes amazing.  For a good recipe click here.  I took the blogger's suggestion and make it in an almost empty jar of almond butter.  OMG it was delicious.  I also picked up some of the chia seeds from Whole Foods.  I added it in the morning rather then the night before since the package said that the seeds can change the consistency of the food sometimes.  I actually liked it more added it the day of because it gave a little crunch to the oatmeal.

(The picture REALLY does not do it justice. It may not be pretty but it tastes amazing!! This coming from a picky eater)

I am going to try to make the quinoa breakfast bake next.  I'll let you know how that goes.