Time to play catch up

I know, I know, I haven't been posting ever day. It's a little too much to do so I've decided I'm just going to post things that are different, like if I eat something new and fun for lunch, or if I make a fun dinner.  I'm also going to post an exercise today! Woohoo!

So let me catch you up!

I like to find recipes at some tried and true places like Skinnytaste.com.  I also like to kind of "make stuff up" from time to time or make fun substitutions.  If I eat the same thing all the time I get bored, so I have to switch things up. If I don't, I'm more likely to eat something unhealthy.

Here is a lighter buffalo chicken mac and cheese from Iowa Girl Eats. She has some great recipes on her site. I can never find the Laughing Cow bleu cheese wedges (they have like every other flavor) so I just sprinkle in a little regular bleu cheese (I just use restraint).  I also used whole wheat flour in this recipe.  I also like to have a steamed veggie, especially with pasta meals because it really helps fill me up and its a lot easier than cutting up veggies for a salad.

Here is a recipe I kind of made up. First I sauteed about 2 cloves of chopped garlic in some olive oil (less than a tablespoon) on medium high heat. Then I added the boneless skinless chicken thighs I had seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and sage.  I seared them on each side and then let them cook through. It really did not take long at all. I also made these mashed potatoes from skinnytaste.com, however I did not have sour cream so I substituted in a little bit of blue cheese so it'd still have some kind of tang to it. The sour cream makes a difference.  I also added a little bit of cayenne, it's good for your metabolism! I had broccoli, Steve had peas because he thinks broccoli is "unnatural."

Here is another dinner I threw together. My mom taught me how to make this citrus rice. It's made just like regular jasmine rice but with lemon and orange zest, a chicken bouillon cube, and a clove of smashed garlic are put into the water while it cooks. The fish I made is tilapia. I love tilapia because it is CHEAP and low calorie.  I lightly coated each side of the fish in olive oil then covered it in Cajun seasoning and a little bit of brown sugar to make it like a spicy sweet to go with the rice.  I cooked it in the oven at around 400degrees for about 15 minutes, I think, I just kind of watch it. Fish is so easy to make in the oven. I also made steamed sugar snap peas on the side.

I love Trader Joe's. It stresses Steve out so we only go sometimes. I usually run in and grab cookie butter. This week I got him to mill about a little more so I bought some of the veggie corn dogs.  Best decision ever. I had one for lunch the other day. Again, here is how I do my lunches, a lot of variety, so little bits of this and that to make sure I'm getting vitamins, carbs, proteins, etc, but still enjoying what I eat and eating something easy to make.  I had it with wheat thins, tomatoes, a reduced fat string cheese, and an apple.

Also, a new pre-work out snack I love: whole grain toast with a soft boiled egg mushed on top with some salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Yum. I eat my work out snack about 2 hours before I work out.

We get bagels every Sunday after the gym. It's one of my favorite "traditions." I like to make sure that I get some veggies with my bagel so I usually get a salad, too. I've been on a cream cheese, lox, red onion, and capers kick so I got that on an everything bagel and the new verde chicken salad (no chicken). It had romaine, spinach, avocado, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, and red onions with Italian dressing. It was SUCH a good salad. It really didn't need the chicken.

This work out is an oblique leaner. Obviously the things I post are just part of what I do during that day and remember, I am not a trainer. These are work outs I have learned but I know if you're like me, you need variety so I'm going to post some of what I do from time to time so you can throw them in to your work outs.  First, you need to find the weight with which you are comfortable. I think the first time I did this I'd been working out for a few months, and I used a 20lb weight.  Here I am using at 35lb weight.  So here is what you do. Stand with your legs together. The closer your legs are, the harder it is.  Put the weight in one of your hands (you'll switch sides for another set of reps). You can do whatever you want with the empty hand. Stand straight with the weight in one hand.
Next, lean to the side with the weight on it until you feel it in your side.

Then lean back up.

It's that easy.

Repeat that motion 15 times then switch sides.

I do this as part of a circuit that is repeated 3 times and then do another circuit so mix it in with some other stuff.  You can really feel it in your obliques. If you're not feeling it, switch to a higher weight or make sure you're keeping your back and legs straight.  If it's too hard after a few reps, move down in weight. Thanks Steve for taking the pics!

Here are some of my recent burns from the gym, because I don't remember the last time I posted. In the double, my HRM stopped working before cardio so I restarted it and added it together for 922 cals burned:

I went out to eat like twice this weekend and so it killed my calories two days however, it was worth it because it was with friends that I haven't seen in quite a while both times. Can I eat healthier when I go out? Sure! However, sometimes even ordering a salad is a challenge and when you're on a budget, that comes in to play too. I'm not upset about it. I've seen that scale go down every week. I keep monitoring my food intake and working out really hard, so I'm on the right track.  If I hit another plateau, I'll just find something to switch up again. I hit one a few months ago, it was rough. I was sitting in the gym with Steve and I started crying because the scale hadn't budged much in like 2 weeks even with super monitoring of my food at that time AND really intense work outs. I stopped obsessing over it and just started living my life again, and the weight started to come off. It's also hard to put pressure on yourself, that doesn't help anything and just puts me into a position where I want to give up and eat 35 chips ahoy with a glass of milk, but I remind myself of the work I've done and that I can keep going. I know I'm rambling here.  Really, this for me isn't a diet and it isn't about excuses. It's about living my life in a new way, changing old habits, but still enjoying my life without restrictions when I can make that choice. Really, that is what this journey is. It is about choice. I've chosen to change things and I chose what I eat and what I do each day.

Wednesday, June 11th

Well, I had today off. Part of me trying to use up my vacation days before they go away at the end of the month. I was down 1.6lbs from last week today which puts me at a total weight loss of 33.6lbs.

I took Gotham for his morning walk just later than usual because I slept in.  After our walk I had breakfast, and then I think he was a little tired.

 I had left over stir fry I made a few nights ago for lunch while I binged on Netflix.

While I worked on this post, I had a cup of coffee (yes, I actually started working on a post the day of).

I had 1 whole pita warmed up and sliced up with some grape tomatoes and a reduced fat string cheese as my pre-work out snack

We worked out with Logan tonight and did some challenging moves. I liked it a lot. I almost fell jumping in and out of a tire during tire flips. She really pushes us and I enjoy it.  Here is my burn from our work out with her and cardio.
Oh! I also ran a mile tonight during my normal 10 minute warm up - it took me 11:54, not 10 minutes however I know I can cut that down! I'm going to do a 5Kin the fall and want to have a good time for that so I figured I'll start working on it now (why not?). I'm not usually a big runner, after a while I'm over it but it's for my sister wife so I'll do it.

After the gym we went to Panera for dinner.  I got the Asian Chicken Salad (whole salad) with a whole grain baguette and a cup of the garden vegetable soup and an apple. After the gym, YouPick2 is not enough food for me.

We also had to go to Target, and they had Ghiradelli chocolate on sale so I bought a bag and so did Steve. I got the Dark Chocolate Soiree which is dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds. I wasn't going to have any before bed because of the caffeine (I've noticed it effecting my sleep) but I could not resist. I slept just fine! I did have a cup of vanilla sleepy time tea before bed which I forgot to photograph.

Today (Thursday) is our last gym day for the week until Sunday.  Tomorrow we're going in to DC to see some friends and Saturday I'm Katnissing with Kim (i.e. archery) while Steve works.  I hate and love weekends (because Steve works Saturdays).

Tuesday, June 10th

Hello! I've decided I'm posting the day AFTER now. Trying to post super late at night has left me super frustrated when my computer runs slow or I'm having issues with photos.  Today I walked Gotham again before work, followed by my typical morning breakfast.

For lunch I had a chicken salad pita pocket. I made the chicken salad myself with Greek yogurt, reduced fat mayo, Dijon mustard, and spices.  I also had lettuce and Swiss cheese in the pocket. I had a quarter of a sliced avocado on the side, a sliced apple, and 3 sliced grape tomatoes.  Having little things to nibble on like this is one of my favorite ways to eat lunch when I can make my own lunch and when I'm watching what I eat. You can have so many different flavors that way.

 I had a Dove chocolate square and a cup of coffee as a pick me up around 3pm.

 Gotham was over being in my office in the afternoon, also. This was the look I was getting.

Before the gym, I needed a break from yogurt so I had a piece of reduced fat string cheese and 15 wheat thins (1 serving).  

 I wore my Batman shirt to the gym. For some reason it is one of my favorite gym shirts. It makes me feel strong and I love how much larger it is now than it was a few weeks ago. One of these days, I'll remember to record one of my moves.

 Here is my burn from the gym.  We went so late. Steve got out of class like 40 minutes late, and then the commute in the rain is always longer. We didn't get to the gym until 8pm.

 For dinner I made this Aloha Teriyaki Shrimp Burger recipe from skinnytaste.com. They were super easy to make and delicious.  I use skinnytaste for a LOT of our dinners. I pre-made the burger patties and the sauce so when we got home from the gym it was a quick dinner.  I like to eat my burgers with some steamed veggies now so I don't over eat french fries (which is really easy to do) but, Steve has far more calories than I do so I always sneak like 1/2 a serving. I also had a Dove chocolate after dinner.  Oh one thing you have to remember, watch your condiments! Ketchup has a lot of calories and sugar!

 

Here is the nutrition break down for today.

Monday, June 9

Happy Monday! In the past, Mondays have been rest days but not with this changing schedule.  Started off the morning with our walk.

This morning I had my typical I'm going to the gym today breakfast.
100% whole grain toast with 1/2 tbsp almond butter and 1/2 tbsp cookie butter with 1/2 a grapefruit with 1tsp of splenda blend sprinkled on top.

For lunch I had a feast, so to speak. I had 1 sliced apple, 1/2 of an avocado sliced with salt and pepper on top, 1oz of swiss cheese, 2 oz low sodium turkey breast, 1 whole pita warmed and cut into wedges, 3 grape tomatoes, and a tbsp of hummus. It was delicious.

I also had a piece of dove dark chocolate after lunch.

I had blackberry Chobani before the gym today outside while Gotham ran around.

Here is my burn at the gym tonight. I felt much better working out than yesterday.

I made this chicken and quinoa enchilada bake for dinner. It was AMAZING. This is about half a portion because I DUG into it after the gym. It's only about 517 calories for a huge serving.  It really hit the spot after our work out.

I had a skinnycow ice cream bar after dinner because I had plenty of calories left over and my meal was nice and balanced.

Weekend Wrap Up

Okay so Saturday was a rest day. This summer, Steve works 12 hour days on Saturday which pretty much leaves me in the apartment cleaning and binging on Netflix unless I have plans.  This Saturday I walked Gotham, did laundry, hung out outside, and watched some Netflix.  Super fun day.  I needed it, though.

So Saturday I wasn't really hungry until 11am so I had something lunchy. Flat Out makes wraps and I used to use the wraps for pizzas, but now they make specific pizza Flat Outs! I used one to make a pizza with jalapeno and pineapple. Let me tell you, this is a fantastic combination. You're missing out if you haven't tried it.

I forgot to take a picture of "lunch" - I ate around 3pm.  I had 1/2 a whole wheat pita  with 2oz of sandwich ham and 1 slice of Munster cheese with sliced cucumbers and a tablespoon of hummus.

I wanted something sweet so I had some Earl Grey tea with a little honey and fat free half and half around 5pm

Steve wasn't going to be home for dinner until like 9pm and at 7pm I was hungry so I had some of this left over low cal mac and cheese I made. It has squash in the sauce rather than a bunch of butter and flour. You can't even tell, it is fantastic. I had one serving which is around 227 calories.

I was going to make buffalo chicken drumsticks and corn. After the chicken drumsticks defrosted, they did NOT smell good anymore. I was not happy at all. I HATE wasting food. I improvised. I had left over pulled pork from an event I went to and garlic bread. Pulled pork is great on toasted garlic bread so we had that for dinner with corn on the cob. Steve had two pieces of bred with pork. I had one piece of garlic bread with 2 oz of sauced pulled pork.

I had been craving cookie butter all day (probably because I have it like every day and hadn't had any yet) so I had a few calories left and had a piece of bread with a 1/2tbsp of cookie butter with some tea.

Okay so Sunday be prepared for a disgusting amount of food, especially carbs. Seriously the amount of carbs I had is terrible but it was a cheat day. We still went to the gym, but I was definitely over my calorie goals, even after burning 1000 calories.  One day will not ruin your diet as long as it is not frequent. We were celebrating Steve's first week of class ending and wanted to go out for dinner and dessert.
For breakfast I had a piece of toast with my cookie/almond butter blend and then ate a Chobani yogurt in the car on the way to Gotham's check up a the vet.  We went to the gym right after.

Here is the burn from the gym. My muscles were sore yesterday and I was struggling to make it through a few of the moves.  I was not feeling strong, but I did it.

We always have bagels on Sunday after the gym before we go to the store. It is our little tradition. We went ahead and did it knowing that we were eating like crap that night. Bad life choice number 1. 
 I had a toasted Sesame bagel with cream cheese, lox, red onion and capers.  I also had a cup of coffee with splenda and half and half.  Seriously this is usually my Sunday splurge and it makes me so happy.

Okay dinner. Whew. We went to Sabatino's in Little Italy for dinner.  We have been one time before and we enjoy it. It's like eating at your grandmother's house. We had this shrimp appetizer with cheese and pancetta on it. It was delicious and we basically each had two shrimp.

I also had restaurant bread, because it's delicious.  Also restaurant butter is the best butter. It's not good for you but it is SO delicious.  I also had the house salad with house dressing. I did not finish it. You can't see how big this garden salad is in this picture, but it's a large side salad. I also had a glass of wine with dinner. I swear I took a picture, but I guess not. 

For dinner, I ordered the tortellini in tortellini sauce.  It is meat and cheese tortellini in a tomato cream sauce with ground veal and peas. It was SO good.

Steve got ricotta gnocchi in alfredo sauce and they put mozzarella on top and melted it in the oven. Oh.my.GOD. it was like light fluffy pillows of ricotta and alfredo heaven. Honestly it was fantastic. I ate like four of his gnocchi.

Neither one of us finished. Lunch for us! I noticed that I ate a LOT slower than I used to and realized I was full faster, which is a big deal.  In the past, we both would have finished those pastas no problem. 

We went to Vaccaro's for dessert which is down the street.
I had Pizelle alla Napolitano. Chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio gelato with pizelle cookies. Steve had a granella which is granita with vanilla gelato.

He had raspberry with chocolate sprinkles/jimmies.We split the mini canoli sampler, too. Needless to say we didn't finish this either.

All in all, after working out I was only around 150 calories over but the nutritional break down is gross.

It's nice to celebrate once in a while with food. We enjoy food and you can't restrict yourself all the time, but this is NOT something you should do often.  This isn't something we do often at all but I am not going to feel guilty about it.

Last night I tried on old prom dresses. My dress from senior year was too big in the waist and bust but tighter in the hips.  My prom dress from junior year was tight but I could zip it up and breathe.  They fit differently and it's funny because 1. I'm ten years older. 2. I have muscles and my body isn't this size just from fat.  I still have a lot to lose but it's nice to see that progress and one day those dresses will be too big.