Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Work It: Paleo

Workout: 25 minute interval run

image

After coming into the 21st century, I was really shocked to see how much protein I was consuming - still kind of am.

I think this kind of started last week, when I was toying with the idea of doing the "Paleo" diet to loose the “infamous” five pounds.

Cely from  Running off the Reese's: Paleo: Week 4 does a great job about explaining why she chose to try this diet after careful consideration and working with her doctor.

I, however, did no such thing. This is how it went:

Me: Wow, she’s getting results with that diet. I wonder what it’s all about?

Me: Hmmm, maybe I’m eating too many carbs? I know I’m eating too much sugar.

Me: I know, let’s start cutting down on my oatmeal at night.

Me: Maybe I could have my eggs in the morning sans the whole-wheat sandwichthin?

Me: I guess I could just make the fish & veggies – no need to make the brown rice.

and that’s how I got to yesterday:

image

I can get a little carried away, some may say.

After really thinking about it all day, I decided I really don’t need to try this diet. I’m lucky and don’t have any gluten or dairy intolerance. I don’t have any condition that would require me to try something like this.

Plus, I’m also at a “happy” weight and mainly trying to loose those last pounds and tone up a bit. I also haven’t consistently been eating my best, so I haven’t REALLY been trying loose the weight.

After some consideration I went back to my “everything in moderation” mentality and decided to skip the Paleo. It’s just not for ME and you have to do what’s right for YOU!

In that spirit, I started playing around with my online food diary. I put in my plan for the day and saw it was too much protein once again, so I started switching things around. I even decided to skip the edamame and get me some of this:

A whole-wheat bagelthin! Yum!!!

Going forward, I’m just going to try and make the best decisions CONSISTENTLY!

Do you guys ever get carried away with diets?

ADios :)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Little Things: The 21st Century

Workout: 30 minutes Energizing Flow Vinyasa
Calories:
Sugar:

Me: This is my food journal. Notice the date? This thing is way too bulky to carry so it gets left by the wayside, oh gees – every day? Plus, when I do remember to write I get to do all the calculations myself. He he :)


21st Century: Welcome! We've been wanting to meet you!

image








Who knew? Look, I even have 1 calorie to go! Must.use.wisely!

The last time I had tried an online food journal was probably “in the year 2000”. The internet was slow back then, loading up any foods was a pain and I just didn't want to deal with it.

Cut to 2011, and things are way better :)

I found an Android app: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ and set up my account. I was a little shocked at the stats for today. I didn't realize I was getting so much protein (see edamame, eggs, pork, walnuts...) and not that many carbs. This program tracks sugar, but it doesn't differentiate between added and naturally occurring.

1 date + 1 cup pineapple + 1 banana + vegetables + 1 cup milk  = ~ 72 grams of sugar.

I don't really want to track sugar from veggies & fruit so I wish they offered that option. I think I'll write them, you never know - they may take my requests :)

I like that the app has a tracker that lets you know how much of your daily goal intake is left. I decided I am going to try ONCE AGAIN to loose those "infamous" 5 lbs, so we shall see if this helps in any way.

Do you all use any online tools?

Off to watch the American Idol finale. I get a little sad this time of year because all my shows are ending for the season :( It’s like saying bye-bye to a funny friend.

ADios!

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Salad Case: The Ninja

Workout: 30 minutes at-home weight session
Calories: 2100
Sugar:30g

First off is this week’s yummylicious salad case!


In the mix today:
  • 2 handfuls of spinach
  • 1 cup roasted brussel sprouts
  • 1 cup roasted bell peppers
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1/4 c almonds
  • splash of feta cheese
  • 1 egg
Oh so good, no dressing required :) I actually prefer to warm this up in the microwave for a bit, it adds so much to the flavor of the roasted veggies.

How was your weekend? I worked all day Saturday so mine went by way to fast and it was jam-packed with action. Hmmm, jam!

We ended up going to the Humane Society's Walk for Pets and it was so much fun. I meant to take my camera but forgot it, which may be a blessing in disguise. It was the first time we went on a family outing with the baby, the dogs and lots of other people. We survived and had a blast - the doggies were happy tired last night.

We needed to make a Sam's run and I was looking to see if they had any food processors. I love my Bullet and the tiny one my Mom gave me, but I need more processing power if I'm going to be able to maintain my raging nut-butter addition. As we were walking down the isle, the clouds opened and a brightening ray of light shone unto this:



The Ninja - Rule the Kitchen - 'nuff said!

It was $49 for a version with 4 different containers with blades, I couldn't find it online but this was the closet to it for less than half the price - Ninja Chop!

We were discussing buying it when this lady rambled on and on about how Consumer Reports had given it the highest rating. She also went into how she doesn't sleep and ends up buying all the stuff they sell at night; which included the Bullet that she likes but what she doesn't like is that the protein powder she uses for some reason ends up getting into everything...

You get the picture, right? I gotta give it up to that rambling lady, cause when I asked "Can we get it???", RC said "Sure!" I need to get that lady on my speed dial, specially any time I try to make my case for an outside pool or better yet:



Would you ever buy one of these for your home? I always wonder who buys them and what they really think of them. Can you tell I'm missing the pool right about now? I went from swimming 3x/week to 0 - I just can't get it into my schedule without having to sacrifice Brielle time (hence all the at-home workouts).

The good thing is that we're off to San Diego for vacation this week! That's right beach - I'm looking for you! Thursday can't get here fast enough!!!

How was your weekend?

ADios :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Natter: Blah Blah/Foodie Failure

Thursday Workout: 45-Minute-Non-Stop-Vinyasa Flow
Calories: ?
Sugar: ?
Friday Workout: None
Calories: ?
Sugar: Scary???

Me: Brielle, hold on I need to clean up your little nose.
Brielle: A blah dah dah bla daa daa daa...
Me: C'mon munchkin, let me get these drops in there - they're not bad.
Brielle: A blah dah dah bla maa maa daa...
Me: Okay, you can hold on to that
Brielle: A blah dah dah bla maa maa daa...
Me: There, got it - phew!

She is the cutest little blabber mouth and I love every minute of it :)

I am completely amazed that she's still sleeping through the night. I think the main reason is that we moved up her bed time, I think we were putting her to sleep too late.

On the sugar front, my friends - I lost a big battle today. As always, I started out with good intentions but for me,

sugar in the AM => sugar all.freakin.day

Must start taking pictures on Friday, maybe it would have helped today. Just look:

  • Krispy Creme glazed doughnut
  • 1 chocolate chip cookie
  • 1 tiny piece of office b-day cake
  • 1/2 cannoli
  • 12 oz iced chai tea

Seriously, I don’t even want to count!

I’m just going to dust myself off, plan on a cleansing run tomorrow and try to dodge that sugar monster for as long as I possibly can!

How do you guys handle bad nutrition days? Any tips?

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Work it: or don't?

Workout: none :(
Calories: 2400 :(
Sugar: 35g

So I think my subconscious is trying to make up for all the accumulated lost hours of sleep. It turns out I muffled my phone/alarm during the middle of the night and failed to hear it this morning. You rock subconscious-self :)

Not really, I was planning on doing some yoga because it's been a while and I'm sure my back would like it. Speaking of my back, it feels better so the unplanned exercise is doing my body good :)

On to today’s yummy breakfast, plus you get to check out these photography skills:



I know, such a pro ;)

They may not look like much, but I love these little babies. I've been baking breakfast muffins these last two Sundays and I'm loving that I can just throw them in my lunch bag and go.

  • 1/2 c quinoa flour & 1/2 c oatmeal flour
  • 3 bananas
  • 1 cup egg whites
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)
  • splash of chocolate powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder (I kind of just splash it on there, I'll try to measure next time)
  • splash of vanilla
  • splash of coconut
  • 4 chopped dates
  • 1/2 bar chopped 86% dark chocolate Godiva bar
  1. Smash the banana and mix everything together.
  2. Pour into a 12-muffin tin.
  3. Bake at 350 for ~20 minutes (until you insert a knife and it comes out clean)
  4. Enjoy :)

I like to have them along with a side of nut butter, okay - maybe a jar of nut butter, but who's looking?

Last night I was too lazy to get my laptop from my room and I spent the whole night without it. It was kind of nice to be “disconnected” from the net, but kind of weird at the same time. Do you guys feel that way sometimes?

Off to enjoy some TV – here’s looking at you American Idol!

ADios :)

Monday, May 16, 2011

Foodie Friday: Odwalla

Workout: None
Calories: ???
Sugar:???

So this is an old draft that I started and then the weekend got in the way (happy rude) and I forgot to post.
 ***



It's been 7 days since my LO has been sleeping through the night and it's freaking me out! Can you believe it?

I still can't! I'm still not used to it, so I'm waking up for any little noise she makes. Since she's falling back to sleep on her own, I'm getting way better rest than I was before. I can't complain right now :)

I think I'm also taking to get caught up, which is why I "slept in" both Wednesday and today. Gotta love it!

The only thing I don't gotta love is the sugar intake these last 2 days. Not through the roof, but pretty darn close!

I ran out of tuna & lentils so today's salad was lacking in the protein department, which left me pretty hungry a couple of hours after lunch. I went to the food court and picked up these little babies:


 

Look, our first family portrait!

After 5 minutes of trying to decide, I failed to realized that I picked up the fiber bar! I hate any fiber/protein taste and I was so disappointed :( Oh well, you live and you learn :)

Have a great weekend!
ADios:)

The Salad Case: Anniversary

Workout: 3 mile run in 27:39 minutes (woo-hoo)
Calories: 2400
Added Sugar: 30g

As I sit here, I can't believe how much we crammed into one tiny little weekend. I'm tired just thinking about it.
  • Truck’s check engine light turned on. Tried to drop off the truck before the check engine light turned off (gas cap wasn't tight enough).
  • 1st Gymboree class for Brielle :)
  • Drove to Las Cruces (RC forgot a book he just HAD to have to study for a test that is more than 1+ years away - yes, he is that type ;)
  • Celebrated our 2nd year wedding anniversary at the Double Eagle, the restaurant where we had our reception. My how things have changed in two years.
  • Got some milk chocolate covered nutter butter from The Chocolate Lady - ‘twas AMAZING!
  • Breakfast with the parents :) the next day
  • Marathon grocery shopping with a baby (never again on a Sunday!)
  • Baby food making (sweet potato cubes)
  • Marathon veggie roasting session (for the salad case :)
  • Baking breakfast muffins (recipe to come :)
  • Laundry :(
  • Clean up kitchen after my above-mentioned roasting festival!

I didn’t stop until 8:30 and I had to ask RC to pick up dinner tonight because I needed a break from the weekend!

Luckily, I was feeling in a running mood and just had to get a workout in. The bad news, I think I may have a case of sciatica. The horror!

I woke up with lower back pain, but didn’t think too much of it. During the run, my right leg began to feel a little “funny” for lack of a better description. It’s feeling better now, not bad but not normal.

I think it was the Insanity videos last week. They may be too high impact for me and my back, so I’m staying away for them until I feel better. I’ll also be adding more yoga and if things don’t get normal after a couple of weeks, off to the doctor I go :(

Have you ever had any lower back pain? Isn’t getting older fun?

Hope you had a good Monday :)

ADios!

***

Ha ha! Almost forgot the week’s salad case:

  • 2 handfuls spinach
  • 1/2 c brussel sprouts
  • 2 slices eggplant
  • 2 slices zucchini
  • 2 slices sweet potato
  • 1/4 c walnuts
  • sprinkling of cheese

Yum. Yum. Yum!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Little Things: Grape Leaves

Workout: Insanity Cardio + Resistance - 40 minutes
Calories: 2100
Sugar: 30g

Sometimes I feel like my co-workers are throwing ice cream, cake and candy grenades in my cube - but who's complaining? I've gotten ok at dodging them when I feel like it, but sometimes it’s really hard.

Today was extra special, though! Don't you love it when you get surprised at work with yummy + non-sugary treats? Grape leaves and chicken were on the menu today, compliments of a lovely co-worker's wife. She rocks! I never make stuff for Richard's co-workers and I went to school with most of them! If you have an SO, have you ever made stuff for their co-workers?

I scored the McMuffin from another worker, but am giving that one to RC for his breakfast tomorrow :)  BTW, these grape leaves were phenomenal! I tried them once in a restaurant but couldn't stomach them. I was brave today and I must say it paid off :)

They were stuffed with rice and this YUMMY creamy, red sauce and I promptly decided to invite myself over for dinner so I could score the recipe. Sadly, I was soundly rejected in front of all my co-workers :( He was kidding, but now I think he may cave in getting me the sauce recipe because he feels so bad. Fingers crossed, people – fingers crossed :)
Have you ever met anybody that doesn’t like to share their recipes?
 
Shout out to my SIL here cause we’ve both been trying to get the MIL’s FANTABULOUS German cheesecake recipe. Seriously, that recipe ROCKS but with 15+ combined years of trying – we haven’t made one little dent! We may have to go all stealth and commando in getting to that recipe ;)
 
Great, now I have cheesecake on my mind. Just great!
 
Off to watch Glee!
 
ADios :)

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Salad Case: Uncharted Territory

Workout: Insanity Plyometrics 40 minutes
Calories: 1900
Sugar: 25g

Folks, I may be in uncharted territory right now - my baby has given me 4 days of sleeping through the night. Did I mention they were in a row? What is going on here??? Talk about a great Mother's day present!

[Sidenote 1: I'm working on another post regarding the changes we've made - keep your fingers crossed and hope they keep up the results :)]

Speaking of the whole Mother's Day celebration, it was kind of surreal. It's so weird being on the receiving end of it - everyone is so nice to you :) but in all honesty, I can only hope to one day be to Brielle 1/100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000th of what this woman has been for me:

Week11_18 039
Words cannot express the love and inspiration that she means to me and I thank God each day for having the privilege of calling her Mom!

Thanks for being my Mom!!!

The lovely 4-day sleep surprise has got me all sorts of off kilter, too. I don't know what to do with myself. Gee, maybe go for a run?

A run I went on Saturday for 3 mile loop. 'Twas glorious - despite the fact that it was at 1 PM, sunny, ~90 and lots of wind. I'm so glad I did it!

Take a week+ off, and my body didn't know how to process this run so I've been extremely sore ever since. Tomorrow is going to be bananas, I bet - cause of the whole insanity video this morning. I sooooooooooooooo missed getting up in the AM to workout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you all may know, I'm A Creature of Habit and have settled down to having an overflowing salad for lunch - each and every work day. I try to switch up the salads some to avoid any boredom, so I thought it might be fun sharing my salad "combinations" with ya'll. Hence, The Case -> The Salad Case. Aren't I clever? (Don't answer that!)

In the salad case today:

 
  • 2 big bunches of spinach
  • 2 big bunches of roasted brussel sprouts, broccoli + red peppers
  • sprinkling of feta cheese
  • 1/2 C lentils
  • 1/4 C pecans

Oh so yummy! Plus, I’ve noticed that with chunky and flavorful roasted veggies like brussel sprouts, broccoli + red peppers there’s no need to add dressing. You get to taste move of the veggies this way.

What are your favorite salad combos?

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Little Things: TissueFest 2011!

Workout: none - the streak continues!
Calories:
Sugar:

That's right folks, the streak continues thanks to TissueFest 2011! It's alive and flourishing in my house, I dare say everyone is into it this year!

They need to come out with some new contraption that gives you free access to clean tissues and comes with a handy disposal service - Abacus is in doggie heaven. He has this obsession with tearing up paper - sometimes eating it, but usually limits himself to shredding it.

Brielle 120
Last night, however, he became the Butter Bandit! Darn dog ate a stick of butter, including the paper wrap. I won't lie, I was a little jealous - I <3 butter!

After signing off last night, I was determined to go to bed at 9:30. We were watching Pawn Stars and I decided it to finish it, it'd be over at 9:40 and I decided I also had enough time to balance our bank account excel sheet (I'm all about excel).

Then I thought, I have time to put back the clean dishes, wash that soaking pot and get my overnight oats ready. Sure I do!

Fast forward to 10:05 when I'm barely washing my face before sleep - a new thing I'm trying thanks to Oprah's 20 years younger challenge.

[Sidenote 1: Do you watch Oprah? I never really did, but I’ve been taping the  last shows and I haven’t been disappointed!]

[Sidenote 2: Being the lazy lady that I am I didn’t realize that leaving all that dirt/chemicals is probably – no bueno! So I ordered some AHA & Burt’s Bee’s scrub cause I thought the Oprah versions were a bit pricey! Do you have any recommendations for skin care?]

In the end, I failed miserably and didn’t get to bed until 10:30. Why do I do this to myself? Then I was so wired it took me 30+ minutes to fall asleep – leaving me right back where I started. Arrgh!!!

Not tonight though, tonight I will try again tonight :)

ADios!

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Case: Motivation-less!

Workout: None
Calories:2100
Sugar:30g

That’s right people, I seem to have lost all motivation to workout. I’ve been choosing any sleep, even if it’s just 20 more minutes of resting in my bed before I drag myself into the shower.

Sleepless nights are my kryptonite.

The latest bout is do to my LO having an ear infection and a bad, bad cough. We had to use a nebulizer every 4 hours the on Thursday. She’s been doing better and the cough is slowly going away, but me & TH (The Hubby) and I are slowly recovering.

I know I may complain about the lack of sleep & all, but don’t get me wrong, it’s all worth it when I get to see this little face in the AM :)

 Brielle 112

So blessed!

My motivation to work out, not so blessed!

I’ve actually been eating well with the occasional treat, but I still have this nagging feeling that I’m going to balloon up any second now. Tik tok, tik tok, any second now…

I know sometimes life gets in the way of a good workout and having that lingering guilt is quite annoying. Does anyone get this feeling too?

I think part of the problem may be I’m going to sleep too late, sometimes 11 and trying to wake up at 5. Coo-coo.

My goal starting today will be to be in bed by 9:30 this week and see if that helps in any way. It’s hard closing up shop that early, though.

What time do you guys go to sleep?

Speaking of, sweet dreams :)

ADios!