Titleless Tuesday

Yup, that's right....I'm not sure what to title this entry, so there you have it.

I guess I don't even know what to blog about today, except that I know people like to read this blog and I know they also like to know what I'm eating to achieve my goals.  One thing I'm struggling with a little bit lately is that meat....GOOD meat is expensive and I'm a cheap ass LOL, so I've been trying to be inventive with what I have in my freezer rather than just buy more.  For some reason we ended up with a few lbs of ground, which is odd because normally I don't buy ground turkey.  I'm a true carnivore and I love red meat.  However I had these couples lbs of turkey I didn't really know what to do with so on a lower budget week we got them used up. 

1 night we made a batch of sloppy joes.  They had brown sugar, but I REALLY tried to limit how much I used and also how much I ate....I pretty much failed at both attempts, but I survived.

1 night I whipped together some turkey burgers with things I already had in my fridge (onions, an egg, some chopped jalapenos, steak seasoning and some shredded cheese) and since I don't typically eat buns/bread, I enjoyed them with a fork and some veggies and/or fruit on the side and....YUM!

Last night I started out browning the turkey not knowing exactly what I was going to do with it and then I remembered the stop light peppers I had in the fridge that I got in my amazing $15 bag from the little market in town, so I sprinkled the ground turkey with some Tastefully Simple Fiesta Party Dip Seasoning and threw some Quinoa in a pot to boil.  Then I sliced a yellow onion and those beautiful peppers and dug out a jar of my mom's homemade hot salsa from the cupboard and......VOILA!  I made myself a healthy "chipotle" bowl.  You could also add FULL FAT sour cream and some cheese if you feel the desire too....maybe some guacamole?

I'm enjoying it for lunch as I type and it's YUMMY!  However, I also LOVE Mexican food.  Who am I kidding?  I just love food.  But only REAL food, not that over processed over "doctored" junk they CALL food.

ANYWHO....my lunchbag today??

A little chipotle bowl
1 cup of Strawberries
1 portion of the asparagus onion frittata
2 clementines
1 apple
Celery Sticks (to eat with natural PB)
Yoplait Greek Lime Yogurt

And that's that.  Hope everyone is enjoying this amazing weather to it's full potential.  The kids and I are sure trying between the grocery store trips, pharmacy trips, root canals, and daycare, work, etc.

Happy Tuesday!

Survived the Weekend

I have no choice these days except to take my life one day at a time and today I am SO thankful I made it healthily through my weekend.  Lots of stuff going on, lots of opportunity to falter, but I made it through and feeling amazing on a Monday always screams success!

Today I'm leaving early from work (headed to the dentist for a root canal)....BOO!

Anyway, that will limit the options for dinner, but in my lunch bag today was.....

1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries
1 jalapeno cheddar turkey burger (homemade)
1 cup of mangosteen green tea
1 portion of the Asparagus and Onion Frittata leftover from Saturday morning
2 Clementines
1/2 quart bag of celery (to pair with the natural PB I keep at my desk)

The cravings are getting better and it made me feel good to have someone ask me about the pizza "How do you do so well NOT eating it when it's put right in front of you?"  That means my willpower is evident not only to myself, but to other people.  It also made me feel amazing when a good friend and former running buddy of mine texted me to ask for some motivation or inspiration.  I'm hoping I was of some help to him, but him to know he could come to me for that support is a great feeling!  It also helps to have a supportive boyfriend and a 4 year old that tells me on a regular basis how beautiful I am.  It's amazing to feel that kind of love and support!

Happy Root Canal Monday!!

And to inspire you......here's a little something I found on facebook today....AND LOVED!!!

I like to move it move it!

Well today I got a full cardio and strength workout in thanks to my second floor dwelling cousin. I helped her move in to this apartment so I knew what I was getting myself in to. Thankfully she was moving from an apartment to a house that was much easier to get her belongings in and out of. Needless to say 9-4 was a helluva move and I have the battle wounds to prove it, but it was good to see her and some other family I don't see near enough!

The pizza monster showed up at the move too in the form of 2 deep dishes with pepperoni and sausage! Sounds good right? I wouldn't know....I DIDN'T HAVE ANY!!! Go me!

The only thing I had today since I woke up was a healthy portion of a asparagus and onion frittata I made for breakfast and 40oz Mikes Harder Mango Punch. YUM on both but definitely did not fuel me enough for the hellacious workout I got throughout the day. The kids and I picked up a snack at the gas station and I wasn't at all tempted by the fried and chocolate covered choices flooding the aisles. I did however treat myself a little bit with the sweet and spicy beef jerky. The kids and I then ran to the store for some ingredients for our dinner and how they talked me into the dessert they chose is beyond me!!! Fudge brownie cheesecake!!!!! Normally would be something I couldn't resist. Tonight I did well and was proud that I didn't have one single taste of any part of that sugar spiking concoction. Yay me again!!!

Now off to bed for this bruised mama.

Good night all!

Forgotten Fiber

Ok, it's been a while since I've done a cleanse, but how in the world I forgot the fiber packets this time around is beyond me!!  UGH!  They usually are paired up with the second wave of supplements and I completely forgot them!  Oh well, such is life.  I sometimes think I would forget to bring my head to work with me if it weren't so solidly attached.

It's Friday and I couldn't be happier.  Started off my morning with Mangosteen Green Tea in my new favorite mug thanks to my wonderful sister!  Coupled that with my last bit of Black Eyed Peas and Ham and mmmmmmmmm, perfect start to my weekend!

In the lunch bag today? (besides what's already been mentioned)

2 clementines
1 Hardboiled Egg
1 more Green Tea Bag
1 Jalapeno Cheddar Turkey Burger
1 lb bag of Baby Carrots
1/2 qt size bag of cut Celery
1 Mango Chobani Yogurt
1 Apple

More veggies today!  Gotta figure out what I'm going to make with all the bountiful goodness in my fridge.

I've got quite a few peppers, sweet corn on the cob, a couple more mushroom caps, green onions, celery, carrots, all kinds of goodies.

I'm thinking "Chipotle" Fajita Bowls with the beef roast in my freezer with Quinoa in place of rice....sounds pretty yummy if you ask me!

Next week's shopping list is already under way.  I should have a lot more time for cooking next week since I won't be putting in such long hours at the office.  I <3 cooking and I <3 even more that my kids eat just about anything I cook!  They are such amazing eaters and yes, I do take partial credit for that. hehehe.

Well, have a happy healthy weekend all!

Let's Make a Deal

Ok folks, after a chat with a fellow scale obsessed friend of mine we've made a deal that I will weight ONCE a month.....not at all was a little unrealistic for me I guess, but it was nice while it lasted I suppose.  So I decided to get it out of the way first thing this morning while I wasn't weighed down with food and water and while I was wearing a heck of a lot less than the jeans and such I had on the other evening and the number seemed much more manageable - now I'm banned until 05/25/13....my cousin's wedding day!  P.S. Big shout out to her and her soon to be hubby!  So happy for them and can't wait to attend their wedding.  Hmmmmm, more inspiration....a new dress sounds nice :)

Anyway, woke up late and rushed out of the house, but not before I could pack a healthy lunch bag:

2 Hardboiled Eggs
1 cup of Strawberries
1 Apple
1 cup of Pineapple Chobani Yogurt
2 cups of Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 Jalapeno and Cheese Turkey Burger
1 Stick of String Cheese
1 1/2 cups of Black Eyed Peas and Ham
2 Clementines

It's a lot isn't it?  I probably won't eat at all, but as I was discussing the other nights, it's better to have more than enough healthy options than to run out and end up wandering to the snack shop here at work that is a mini room filled with sugar, lard, and all other kinds of chemicals and blood sugar spikers wrapped in pretty wrappers.

I'll take the extra healthy stuff.

Tonight dinner, the kids really want sloppy joes, but my homemade recipe calls for brown sugar and quite a bit of it and I don't think I'm quite ready for that demon.  I'm thinking more along the lines of smoothies!

It's Thursday, which is almost Friday, which is almost the weekend and I'm feeling pretty good about myself today! :)

Happy Thursday all!

BIG MISTAKE

So I said I wasn't going to get on the scale and I did.  I shouldn't have.  I was VERY surprised at the number (and not in a good way).  HOWEVER, I didn't let it get me too down, because I'm ok.  I'm here, I'm alive, I'm trying REALLY hard, and I slipped up for awhile....so what?  I'm back on track now and that number can only get lower going forward right?

Two more weeks until I do Run or Dye with a group of friends!  It's going to be a blast, even if I don't run the whole thing.  Most of my friends will not actually be running either and it's a family friendly event so part of me wishes I would've registered my little people too.

Today's lunch box?

1 Apple
1 cup of Fresh Sliced Strawberries
2 Clementines
1 1/2 cup of Ham and Black Eyed Peas
1 Garlic Chicken stuffed mushroom
1 Roasted Sweet Potato
1/4 of a gallon bag of Sliced Celery (to be eaten with natural PB)

I think that's about it.....and of course my cleanse capsules, which I'm burping up today....kinda tastes like I've eaten some flowers or alfalfa or SOMETHING.

Counting down the days until I work from home and I can start working out before work every day!  It's going to be GREAT!

Happy Hump Day all!

Half way done cleansing

So much to blog tonight!

First things first, I'm half done with my cleanse and feeling amazing! It's not near as hard to open the cupboard and see the leftover Easter candy.

I've done very well and am proud of every decision I've made the last couple days. However the sales on produce sure have helped!! I've also added a lot to my healthy eating Pinterest board! I've learned one of my favorite things to make are portabello mushroom caps stuffed with all kinds of good stuff! One night last week it was pizza toppings (sausage, pizza sauce, onions, and cheese) SO GOOD! Tonight is leftover shredded chicken, garlic hummus, and Italian cheese! It's literally in the oven as we speak! I can't wait!

This morning the kids and I made "healthy pancakes" too! A combination of oatmeal, eggs, and banana in the food processor cooked in the tiniest bit of olive oil and topped with mango Greek yogurt (the kids) and natural PB (me). I ate FOUR of them or the equivalent of my three and what was left of the kids'. After I polished off that many I was satisfied and not stuffed or overly bloated feeling like I am when I overindulge in regular pancake.

I wasn't at work today or I would share my lunchbox contents. Tomorrow, I promise!

Well goodnight for now! Hope everyone is loving the spring weather we are having lol. Looking forward to 70s this weekend!!

Weekend Wrap Up and Back to Cleansing

This weekend, my guy and I were out of town and I totally forgot my cleanse capsuls as home, so I worked my way through the weekend without them and did amazingly well with the exception of hashbrowns and wheat toast for breakfast yesterday to accompany my "Works Omelette" which was amazing.  Otherwise I stayed COMPLETELY on track all weekend long, which I'm very proud of myself for!

This morning I packed the following list of things in my lunch box:

2 clementines, 1 apple, 1 pear (SO GOOD!), 1 pizza stuffed mushroom cap, 1 Blueberry Rockstar, 2 Hardboiled eggs, and a Chobani Lemon Yogurt!

As you can see there aren't an over abundance of vegetables today and that's partially because I didn't plan/prep very well so I didn't have anything easy to quickly grab and thanks to my teeth grinding habit I didn't get much sleep last night which made it challenging for me to get out of bed this morning.

In other news, I'm having a "skinny day" whoop whoop!

P.S. There is someone very VERY important to me that is refocusing today and I would wish him luck, but he won't need it.  He's amazing all on his own!  <3

Happy Hump Day

Wow I am struggling to get over the "hump"!  This day is just dragging for me.  Phones are slow and no special projects to do today, so I'm just ho huming through the day.  Maybe it's because I'm looking so forward to the weekend?  Could be!  Can't wait!

Today's lunch box:

2 cup container of Quinoa stuffing
1 apple
1 Hard Boiled Egg
1 container of Chobani Greek Yogurt (Pear)
Quart bag of Celery (to be eaten with the Natural PB already at my desk)
2 clementines

Seems I'm running a little low on protein today, but if I get desparate there are individual servings of trail mix in the snack shop I can grab.

So I guess maybe I should share the recipe for this Quinoa Stuffing I've been eating lately....it's by far one of my favorite things to make and even though I was short as ingredient this go round, it still turned out delicious!

2 large sweet potatoes
Prepared Quinoa (1 cup dry)
1 bag of craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 yellow onion
Cumin
Parsley

Roast the sweet potatoes (cubed) and the onion in a glass baking dish with the cumin and parsley.  Once tender and onions are golden combine with the prepared quinoa and the craisins and serve.

This recipe is also supposed to he pecans added, but I forgot that step...OOPS!

Well Day 3 of 14 day cleanse....feeling good, doing good, staying strong.  ROCK ON!

A Fruitful Evening

Tonight turned out well! The kids and I restocked our fresh fruit supplies including a spendy little package if kumquats! The kids have never had them before and were curious so why not?

My big accomplishment for the night came when I had gift cards for DQ....we went through the drive thru for dinner because I knew I would never have enough time to construct any sort of substantial dinner by the time we got home. I made it through unscathed! That mint Oreo blizzard was calling my name but I gave it a big ol STFU!

Finally home I unpacked the piles of fruit we purchased and munched in so leftover turkey breast, quinoa stuffing, and fresh strawberries. Delicious and super proud that I avoiding the big fat blood sugar spiking ice cream monster!

Yay me!

Day 2 of Project Boudoir

Well yesterday was probably one of THE BEST days I've had in a LONG time.  There was a lot accomplished on many different fronts, there were an extra couple hours I got to spend with loved ones and my "healthy" cookies met me at the door and deterred me from the 2 gallon size bags of Easter candy left over from the weekend.....yesterday was definitely a win and I plan to continue the winning streak today.

So yesterday I started my GNC 14 day cleanse again to get ready for my photo shoot on the 18th.  Today is Day 2 of that project and on the way in to work this morning part of me thought "dangit! I forgot to weigh myself yesterday", but then a little voice in my head said "Does the number on the scale REALLY matter?" NO!  No one knows that number, that number makes ZERO difference on how your clothes fit or how to feel, it's just one more thing to obsess over so I decided, from now until my "goal" I am avoiding the scale all together.  I am going to focus solely on how my clothes fit and how I feel.  C'mon, you and I both know that you KNOW when you're doing well and when you're not and while it's reassuring to see the number on the scale go down it's also VERY discouraging to see the number go up because of water retention, periods, etc when you are doing everything perfectly.  I'm honest enough with myself to give myself a little pep talk when I know I'm not doing well.  I KNOW when I'm doing great and when I'm struggling, I don't need a number on a scale or a BMI chart to validate that for me.....so here goes....the first time I'm recommitting without a scale involved.  I have a feeling, this run is going to be a lot more rewarding than any other.

Day 2's lunch box contains: 2 clementines, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 cup of Chobani Greek Yogurt (Pear), my morning liquid cleanse that gets added to my cold water, a 2 cup serving of Quinoa Stuffing, 1 apple, 1/2 quart bag of sliced strawberries, 1/2 quart bag with a sliced cucumber.

I've decided it's much easier to list all of the things that are in my lunch bag, rather than plan out each meal and snack.  This is my fuel to get through the day and I know I'm going to do well.  Tonight will consist of a trip to the grocery store for more fresh fruits, a meeting with my tax guy, and something quick (and still healthy) for dinner.....I'll update ya'll tomorrow on what THAT ended up being!

Motivation Renewal

Yesterday I stumbled upon a post on FB by a photographer that I greatly admire.  I've never met her in person but she does amazing work and a family very close to my heart will not go to anyone else....so here's the post.....

Casting Call: Saturday May 18th 9-4

Write with Light Photography and Raine Okeefe Hair and Make-up
is looking for 10 Ladies, ages 18-35, to feature in our before/ and after photo session.
Models will receive hair and make-up showcasing one of our 10 highlighted looks:

Pin up
Soft and Romantic
Avant-garde
... Victoria Secret Curls
Natural Bed head
Bridal
Prom
Bohemian
Conservative
Edgy Chic

As well as a 30 minute photography head shot session highlighting before and after transformation examples. Each model will receive one 8x10 wall portrait from their session, and 10% off of any additional A La Carte orders.

* Professional modeling experience not required
Must be available the 18th
Must sign a Model Release form
Contact RachelSmak@yahoo.com or 651-208-1369 to
sign up.See More

 

Well guess what folks......this girl is doing it!  Scared shitless, but I'm doing it and what better motivation to stay focused on your goals and on track than this!?!?!

 

Today starts a 14 day cleanse and refocus on clean eating and hopefully I can rock the shoot!  WISH ME LUCK!