Back To The Gym

I was itching to get to the gym first thing!  Although, we had some nice family time over the Thanksgiving break, it was good to send everyone off to their appropriate locations and get back to my routine.

I was hungry right off the bat, too, so I made up a Yogurt Bowl before heading out.  In the mix…

• 1 cup plain nonfat Chobani (it’s baaaaack!)
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 packet NuNaturals Stevia
• 5 sliced strawberries
• 1 tsp. shredded coconut

It was so rich tasting;  the cocoa powder mixed into the yogurt made it seem like frosting!  Mmm…dessert for breakfast.  It’s a good thing :)

I pumped it out on the elliptical for 35 minutes, then hit the circuit weights for an upper body workout.  I decided , for the month of December, to mix up my workout.  I’m going to run 3 days a week – T, TH, Sat, do a cardio mix with weights 3 days – M, W, F and take Sundays off.  I think this will be a better plan for me.  More consistent running ( my marathon running neighbor told me he hated my “every other week running plan” – LOL!) and a nice mix of cardio and weights on the other days.  I think that will keep it fresh and fun!

After the gym, I ran errands in the nasty, cold rain and finally made it home to eat LUNCH!  My stomach was way past growling.  I did notice the growl at the 3 hour mark again, so that seems to be the magic number these past few days.  I reminded myself not to grab anything and start shoveling.  Instead, I heated up some leftover Individual Turkey Pot Pies…

Halleluia for leftovers!

Later, I couldn’t shake the damp coldness, so I made a cup of French press…

For a special treat, we went to dinner with the in-laws at a new local restaurant.  It’s owned by the family of the husband’s best friend and opened for business today.  I was in the mood for a big greek salad…

I’m not usually a fan of stuffed grape leaves, but the ones on my plate were delicious and very rich, so I only ate one and passed the rest to the husband and FIL.  Sadly, my salad was supposed to have grilled chicken on it, but it didn’t make it to the plate on time, so I had it on the side.

I wasn’t completely satisfied (taste-wise) after this meal, but I had eaten enough and was okay with it after everything settled.

I used a little “pep talkin” while scooping some ice cream for the daughters when we got home.  I knew I didn’t need it.  But I sure did feel like I wanted it!

 *hit replay in my head* 

I will not let food control me.  I have the ability to eat just what I need. 

Somehow repeating that over and over took all pressure off.  It was almost a sense of relief.  Like, oh yeah, I can say “no” and it’s okay.  Niiiiice :)

Today is the last day to enter the Campbell’s Soup Giveaway! 

Have a great day, everyone!

Pep In My Step

I woke up with such a happy feeling!  I think my “step it up” pep talk really worked!  I can’t describe the feeling;  it’s like something changed in me overnight.  I feel like I have a stronger resolve to stay on the healthy eating track.  I kept saying to myself that I would not let food control me.  I’m not giving it the power.  I have the ability to eat just what I need.  I have the ability.  I make the choice.  It’s up to me to do what’s right for my body.  It deserves it.   I know there are going to be rough times.  Times when food wants me…really badly.  I have to remind myself that I am in control of what I put in my body.  I can be in control.  Even through the holidays…  :)

So, breakfast was one of my favorite Yogurt Bowls topped with strawberries and diced apples…

I cheated on Chobani with this guy…

Chobani will always be my first greek love, but ya gotta get what’s on sale when ya can :)

After breakfast, I got my butt out the door for a peppy 45 minute walk (I’ll fill you in about the running tomorrow) around the neighborhood in the glorious weather.  I love mild November days!  The husband even joined me for the last 20 minutes which was  nice!

My stomach let me know it was lunchtime about 3 hours after eating breakfast.  I tried to cue into that to see how long it takes me to get hungry between meals.  I think knowing that is key to keeping munchies at bay and also, to help understand what types of food stick with me the longest.

Lunch was a Grilled Vegetable Boca Burger on a Pepperidge Farms Deli Flat, piled high with baby spinach and tomato.  Instead of my usual side of chips, I went with a longer lasting choice of fuji apple with 1 tbsp. homemade almond butter…

We spent the afternoon at a Christmas carol sing-a-long at church.  It was a nice time and really got us in the spirit!

Again, around the 3 hour mark, I was hungry for a snack.  I decided to go salty with reduced-fat Triscuits with turkey and a dab of  wasabi mustard…

Yum!

The dinner plan was a new recipe from Amelie for Grandmom’s Macaroni.  It sounded delicious;  sort of a new twist on baked mac n’ cheese.  I changed it up a tiny bit by subbing these for the originals :   Ronzoni Smart Taste elbow macaroni (high fiber), my own marinara sauce (had some left in the fridge to use up), Cracker Barrel 2% white cheddar and whipped light butter.

The result was DELISH and a hit with the husband and daughters…

My dish…served with a side of broccoli…

This will definitely be added into my regular dinner rotation!  Thanks for the great recipe, Amelie!

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I have been thinking a lot lately about the blogworld and about how much encouragement I receive from other bloggers without them knowing it.  I read a lot of blogs.  A lot.  If you have a blog, you can rest assure I am reading it!  LOL!  I guess there are worse addictions :)  Anyway, I got to thinking how many bloggers write things that really strike me.  Really spur me on or cause me to take pause and reflect.  I don’t often take the time to get in touch with each person and tell them how something they wrote affected me, so I had the idea of making an addition to the end of my posts with a reference to a blogger who made an impact on me that day.  I decided to call it Brilliant Blogger because I often think “that’s brilliant” when I’ve read these words of wisdom.  There are also readers that leave me comments that are brilliant words of wisdom and they don’t have blogs, so I’m going to include some of those, too.  Just my small way of saying “thank you” to those bloggers/readers and sharing some great insights from them!

My first Brilliant Blogger is Joanna from Fitness and Spice. 

She wrote:  This year I’ve decided I’m not going to stress out about eating too much and working out too little during the holidays. That’s because I’ve already made up my mind that I won’t be eating too much and I will be making the time to workout.

Love that!

Don’t forget to enter my Campbell’s  Soup Giveaway – there’s a cool pedometer in there!!!

Have a great day, everyone!

The Power of Suggestion

I woke up to yuck!  It was stormy, pouring, windy, chilly and just plain nasty!  When did winter get here?  It was just summer last week!  Hoping this doesn’t stick around :(  Anywho, I got the daughters ready for school and tried out another Yogurt Bowl:  Pineapple Coconut.  I topped Chobani nonfat plain yogurt with 1/2 c. crushed canned pineapple (in its own juice) and a sprinkle of shredded coconut…

This was not my favorite, either.  I was hoping for a pina colada taste to it, but it was a little too bland.  Maybe it was missing a cherry on top, or a little drink umbrella, or…rum :oD  But, drinking , driving and going to the gym don’t mix, so I just made due.

After kicking everyone out sending everyone off with hugs and kisses, I headed to the gym.  I got on the elliptical for 35 minutes while chatting with my friend, Coleen. We went our separate ways and  I ran (I know I shouldn’t have) and walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes, then did a 20 minute upper body workout – chest and arms.  Something about that environment really fuels me!  Kinda like “we’re all in this together” to quote that ever-annoying High School Musical song:)  Maybe, it’s the newness of the whole gym thing for me, so I’m thinking this might wear off, but I’ll ride it while it’s here!

I wasn’t too hungry when lunch rolled around, but knew I’d be out all afternoon and didn’t want to get caught with the munchies.  The weather of the day dictated a Soup and Sandwich kind of meal.  I decided on one of my favorite canned soups from Trader Joe’s…

And I was inspired by Andrea’s awesome grilled cheese, so I made a grilled cheese to go with it using Seven Grain Bread, asiago cheese and some diced ham.  I had some leftover  grilled sweet potatoes on the side, too…

Chunky and cheesy…like me :)

It was the perfect rainy day filling lunch to get me through and afternoon of shopping with Mom and Gram!  They are great shoppers;  I, however, do not love it so much, but I needed some non-schlocky, stain free, rip free, not 3 sizes too big gym clothes, so I bucked up and met them at Marshalls/Home Goods.  I scored some good clearance deals in the active wear department and got some serving bowls on clearance, too…

All four bowls for $20!  My Mom also found me a cool picture for my kitchen at a great price, so with deals galore, it was worth the trip!

Once home, the daughters came in from school and snack time was here.  Per your suggestions in response to my “GINORMOUS bag of blueberries” dilemma, I decided to make a Blueberry Tofu Smoothie.  Tofu, you ask?  I know you are saying that you did not suggest tofu, but I bought this new Nasoya Silken Creations Vanilla flavored Tofu and thought it might be a good addition…

I used 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup Nasoya Silken Creations Vanilla and 1/2 cup water and blended away.  I split it with little daughter;  we both really liked it…

It wasn’t enough though.  For some reason, I was craving “crunch”, so I grabbed a handful of Cheez-Its, but put them in a bowl to remind myself that this “is” a snack, not just mindless nibbling…

That was better and held me over nicely until dinner.  Pizza was on the menu, but I decided on something else for myself.  I made “Seafood Scallops” with Spinach and Beans.  This was inspired by a Cooking Light recipe for Seared Scallops with Warm Tuscan Beans.  For my version, I used…

• 1 Trader Joe’s Seafood Sausage, defrosted and sliced in 1/2” pieces
• 2 tsp. evoo
• 2 tbsp. minced shallots
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. dry white wine
• 1/4 c. fat free chicken broth
• 2-3 large handfuls of baby spinach
• 1/3 c. cannellini beans

This was a quick dish.  I pan-seared the sausage slices in the evoo; added the shallots and garlic and sauteed for a minute or two;  added the wine, broth and spinach.  Let that simmer for 2 minutes until the spinach wilts and added the beans to warm through.  Viola!  I added s+p to taste and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper…

I put it in one of my new bowl to make it seem “restaurant style”…

After dinner, the soreness came.  Big Time!  I think I overdid it at the gym.  My hip is really sore and throbbing a little.  I know I need to get it checked out .  My big fat babyness / I’m a chicken laziness is holding me back from getting around to it.  I popped some Advil and I think I will take a day off this weekend from exercise.  Ah, the horror!  The guilt will kill me, but I think it’s necessary.  Okay, I’ve blabbed your eyes off long enough, so I’ll leave you with a…

Question of the Day:  Do you take a day off from exercise?

ONE GOOD THING:  I made my snack “official” by putting it in a bowl instead of chomping out of the bag!

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Working It Out

I slept until 7:30 this morning!  Ugh, it’s going to be brutal getting up at 6 a.m. in 2 more days!  My goal is to be more organized this school year, so we’ll see how that goes…

Since I was such a slacker this morning, I went right to breakfast instead of working out first.  I was in the mood for a Yogurt Bowl.  This mix was Chobani nonfat plain yogurt, a handful of questionable strawberries (made into syrup), 3 chopped walnuts and 1 tbsp. shredded coconut…

I love these Yogurt Bowls!  It is filling (greek yogurt has a ton of protein) yet, light enough that I can workout right after without it bothering my stomach.  And I did just that!  I hit the treadmill with my suicide bomber weight vest and walked at a medium pace for 40 minutes.  Then, I tried some of  THESE awesome moves suggested to me by the Superhero of the Fitness World… MizFit!  I will have Arms of Steel one day!  Right now, it’s just Wings of Wobble…

Before I headed out the door for some errands, I had a quick lunch.  Nothing fancy, just a reheat of last night’s Grilled Veggie Pizza…

I still wanted a bite of something, so I nibbled on 1/2 of a Choco – Cranberry- Almond Granola Bar …..

I had to hit the supermarket, AGAIN, then picked up Gram to come over for Sunday Dinner.  On the menu tonight…

Chicken Cacciatore…

Whole Wheat Orzo…

Cauliflower and Zucchini Gratin…

Tossed Salad…

and Seven Grain Bread…

My plate…

and a side plate (x2)...

I did nibble on a piece of the bread, but decided to stop since I was feeling just right.

I ended the night with a cup of Teeccino while losing badly at Bingo…

Have a great night everyone!!

ONE GOOD THING :  Anytime that I felt anxious today and wanted to eat  due to it, I took a moment to “feel the feeling” instead of just rushing to feed it.