Sweetness concept

I recently ran across this statement but it took a few days for it to sink in... and subsequently blow my mind.

They said,(paraphrasing here) instead of giving into my cravings for sweets, I'm going to focus on the sweetness factors in my life. May that satiate my appetite.

Umm, wow! Talk about a mind body connection. If thinking of a different kind of sweet is able to stop my 12 o'clock cookie craving in its tracks, or the times where I graze office candy dishes, or when I feel a gorge session coming on, then I'm willing to try it.

Let's see how I hold up against the call.

Smoothie Smoothie Smoothies!

As of late, I've been enthralled in Smoothie Land. At first, I used it as a quick way to get my veggies in but now I'm allowing myself to play around with some of the lighter more sweet recipes but still nutritious.

First up: Sweet potato smoothie!!!

1 sweet potato with skin (chopped in 4)
1 TBS of vanilla flavored protein powder
2-3 TBS of plain yogurt (could do vanilla)
1-2 TBS of almond flour or peanut flour
1c almond milk
Cinnamon
Maybe 1-2 TBS of Honey, brown sugar or maple syrup for sweetness depending on your preference
Chill in fridge and serve
Bon A petit! :)

Big thank you to my sister-in law Adrienne for being willing to be my taste tester!!! I can always count on her to be down for anything! :)

I wish I caught a pic of her giving her approving thumbs up. But here's a pic of the last of my concoction.

Birthday goal met?!

Whelp no, but again, I do have another point I choose to focus on and celebrate...I'm in the 150s again!! Barely but I'm there! Whoo hoo! And yes, those are the busted up and bruised toes of a runner. Don't mind them.

Some progress!

Well, in regards to my 60 day b'day challenge with 6 days left, I'm at 161...a whopping 5lbs loss in 7 weeks. Pretty pitiful but it speaks to my inconsistency with eating well. Back to the drawing board. Me thinks my goals need to be smaller, more specific and for shorter time frames. I'll make another post once I determine what they will be.

In the mean time, there are some positives. 1-I'm less than I weighed on my wedding day. 2-Back in Nov 2011, for my sister-in-law's wedding, I wore a size 14 bridesmaid dress. Yesterday, in preparation for my good friend, Teju's wedding, I'm now in a size 12!!!

I need a comparison pic but at least for now, I'll post yesterday's pics.

Hey...even when you fail look for a reason to celebrate and be thankful. There are always small small victories even amidst what you see as failure. ^_^

Push on!

Watermelon Strawberry Smoothie...emm

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!!  When I look at the statue of liberty, I cheekily imagine her holding a smoothie in her hand.  

That's certainly been me as of late.  I came across this fantastic recipe and thought it perfect for that summery fourth of July feeling, and indeed it was!  My hubby and I sipped until our heart was content.  It was SOOO good and simple to make.  

3 cups of Watermelon

1/2 c of Strawberries

1 peeled and frozen banana

equals...

Bon a Petit!  and emm emm delicious!  Thank you Oh She Glows for this fabulous smoothie recipe! ; )

Nutella!!! Why can't I quit you?!

My guilty pleasure as of late.

Getting my mojo..

I read somewhere that the average family alternates 6-8 unique meals a month and about 3-4 a week. *shatter* I can't believe how much pressure I put on myself to come up with all these different meals every week....though to be honest, pressure often resulted in fend-for-yourself night !! Or tons of groceries but no time to cook all those meals thus rotten food. : D Boo!

But talk about a shift in thinking! Why do we push ourselves so hard? Whats so wrong with mediocrity every now and then and in certain aspects of our lives? Mediocrity can lead to happiness? Maybe? :D

How about I come up with 8 most nutrient dense, filling, tasty, lasting meals that are also EASY to whip up. Finally, I can have staples in my pantry and not have to run out each time for special ingredients. So far, I have breakfast down, very easy, a green juice as is or with protein mixed in or a banana protein smoothy.

The southwest chicken salad (already posted) serve as great lunch or dinner options.

Today, I tried a recipe on the back of a Quaker box for barley with a little twist (ground turkey instead of chicken breasts) and was pleasantly surprised.. Yum! Check! Check! And check X 3! Oh and that's Stonyfield plain yogurt which is my healthier spoof on sour cream. :)

Sooo not chicken nuggets

I was watching Ali Vincent's show on LWN and was introduced to one of the Biggest Losers' Chefs Devin Alexander.  This was one of the recipes she served at the ranch...it was just too easy.   I had to try it and decided to make it tonight.  It literally took no more than 10mins to do.   Healthy, time efficient, filling and tasty...I couldn't ask for more!  This was delish! I see why they say this a great replacement for chicken nuggets.  The spelt tortilla imitates the texture of the fried flour over the chicken nugget.  


Recipe for the "Soo Not Chicken Nuggets" below:

• 1 (8 inch) all-natural, low-fat whole grain tortilla (I used Rudi's Organic Bakery Whole Spelt Tortillas)
• 4 ounces ground turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon all-natural ketchup (preferably agave- or honey-sweetened and low in salt), or more to taste ( I used regular ketchup)

Directions

Preheat the oven 450 degrees F.Lay the tortilla on a medium baking sheet. Press the turkey in a thin, even layer to cover all but the outer 1/2"-diameter of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half and press to flatten it slightly. Bake for 3 minutes. Carefully flip the tortilla and bake for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the tortilla is lightly crisped and the turkey is no longer pink inside. Using kitchen shears for ease, cut it into 4 wedges. Serve immediately with ketchup on the side for dipping.
Per serving: 280 calories, 33 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates (2 g sugar), 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 265 mg sodium


Recipe from:
The Biggest Loser Quick and Easy Cookbook by Devin Alexander

Planning ahead

I can't stress this enough only because I don't do this often enough myself. There are many keys to success and one of them is EXCELLENT planning. Well, at least for today I can say I'm having fulfilling and nutrient rich meals.

Side note: Planning ahead will also keep a little extra money in your pocket.  If you use the groceries you already have for your meals, you won't be caught off guard and have to buy something from the office cafeteria or a fast food joint.

Breakfast:
Plant based and protein rich!
I love Sun Warrior protein! Not only is it high in protein but it's the first protein powder I've had that not only tastes good but is made of ingredients I can pronounce and feel comfortable putting in my body! It is plant based.

My morning protein shake consists of a TBS of almond butter
8-10 ice cubes
1 banana
1 scoop of protein powder
Cinnamon
Sometimes one pinch of stevia

Lunch:
More of the Southwestern Chicken Salad pictured in yesterday's post minus the chicken and a no sugar added fruit cup.

Snacks will be fruit i.e. bananas and apples

Since hubby will not be home, dinner tonight will likely be a Kale smoothie.  One of my favorites.

2-4cups of frozen Kale

1 cup of frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries)

.5 cup of water

pinch of Stevia

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Woo hoo! I'm glad I didn't give up on this blog just yet! I just now figured out how to post to my blog via cell phone. This makes things so much easier! All my pictures are on my phone and rather than waiting until I get to a desktop, email it to myself, save the pic to my desktop and THEN post on my blog... I can do it all in one fell swoop! Woo hoo! Celebrate! Celebrate!

Moving ahead! Southwestern Chicken Salad

It's been 2 weeks or so since I've begun my 60 day birthday challenge and I must say, meager results for a meager attempt.  I've lost only 2lbs but at least it's in the right direction!  I did learn that if you fail to prepare, you definitely prepare to fail! So I'm making some lunch options and planning ahead this week as best I can.

Here's meal option #1 (made it last night) I love the colors and it is truly delicious!

Southwestern Chicken Salad


Recipe:
4 hearts of Romaine lettuce
1 red bell pepper
4 TBS chopped green onions
1 can of rinsed corn
1 can of rinsed black beans
2 medium tomatoes
1-2lbs of chicken marinated in olive oil with Tajin seasoning (makes everything delish!!)

60 day b'day challenge

I write this on May 13, exactly 61 days out from my 30thbirthday.  I’ve been contemplating doing a challenge.  Would it be possible for me to reach my goal weight #1 in 60 days? Just a short while ago I was doing so well on the Paleo challenge.  While I lost quite a bit of weight on this challenge, I knew that this was not the ultimate style of eating I wanted to pursue….Juicing, heavy plant –centric diet was my goal with little to no processed foods.

Diving into this head first, along with being in the final days before the big marathon combined with 3 weeks worth of travel for business, spelled a recipe for disaster…may not have been that way for others but it certainly was that way for me.  Switching from Paleo, to plant based made me wonder if I was getting enough ‘energy’ to sustain me for the marathon…I started doubting myself and carb loaded like mad before the race and after….and then it just never seemed to end from that point….I had inadvertently reentered the junk food cycle again. Carbs, processed food and sugar, craves more carbs, processed foods and sugar and before you know it…you’ve gained 10lbs back in the blink of an eye. 

So here I am, back at 166lbs(THERE! I said it!) and feeling like my life is in shambles....with a goal of reaching 140lbs by 7/14/2012.

This is not a list of complaints but  a list of the challenges I’m facing and need to think through on how to overcome…

I’m working these CRAZY hours daily and I feel like that has affected so many things in my life.

I’ve not been back to my fitness boutique in ~2months!!

My running is down to 0-1X a week vs 3X a week

I’m eating more processed foods

I’m cooking less often

Hubby and I are BOTH gaining weight

Hubby and I are caught up in the processed food/fast food/ junk food cycle again!! Ahhh!

House is NOT clean enough for my tastes…

Have mercy!!! I need to get out of this fog, get out of this rut and FAST!!!  But how??  It sounds like the answer to my problems is simply working less hours.  Not so fast, I have so many roles within my job that it’s just not humanly possible to get it all done and stay on point within the 8 hour work day…until I can offload some of those tasks/roles, perhaps what I can do is reduce my late night/extra hours to 2-3 evenings a week and commit to 4-8hrs during the weekend.  So how would that look schedule wise??? here's a tentative one based on what I need to get back on track...let's see if this works. 

M-6am workout,12pm run, 8-5pm work, 6-9pm dinner, eat, make brkfst/lunch for next day, prep dinner for next day
T-6am-5pm work, nap until 7pm, dinn, work from 8-10pm
W-6am workout, 12pm run, 8-5pm work, 6-9pm dinner, eat, make brkfst/lunch for next day, prep dinner for next day
Th-6am workout, 12pm run, 8-5pm work, 6-9pm dinner, eat, make brkfst/lunch for next day, prep dinner for next day
F-6am-5pm work, nap until 7pm, dinn, work from 8-10pm
S-7am Run with Galloway