FITNESS

Boo.. I missed workouts both Tuesday & Wednesday due to my schedule (time management & sleep) being all off.

I, out of habit, kept starting to beat myself up about it, but then realize the pointlessness of that, and reassure myself that a missed workout here and there is ok. Hopefully at some point I’ll have to stop reminding myself incessantly.

But this morning was a new day! I got in 30 min. of cardio in the morning, then another 30 minutes this evening. I’m still figuring out my workout plan moving forward (so more on that later), but for now I’m trying to get in at least an hour of cardio each day in order to keep the ‘welcome back carbs’ weight under control.

NUTRITION

Where to begin.. there’s been so much goodness..

Breakfast <3

Wednesday I was craving an old favorite.. so I whipped up PB Blender Protein Ice Cream, but this time layered it with a fantastic new granola find..

This was just a single-serving bag.. which is exactly what I need when it comes to granola . The flavor was strong but just right and went perfect with the PB Ice Cream (I promise it wasn’t pink.. haha, crummy lighting).

Today’s breakfast turned out great, and it held me over until mid-afternoon. First I made up a single serving of Sweet Quinoa..

Sweet Breakfast Quinoa

1/4 c Quinoa

1/4 c H20

1/4 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon to taste

1 tbsp Maple Syrup (I used 0-calorie Walden Farms)

Mix all ingredients except Maple Syrup together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until Quinoa is cooked and liquid is gone. Stir in Maple Syrup.

I topped that with Goat’s Milk Plain Yogurt (I love it! I’d seen it on HEAB, but this was my first time trying it),

and fresh Strawberries..

Nourish News

So considering Nourish probably would have been one of my favorite restaurants in Phoenix anyway, it’s pretty cool that I get a meal there each day I work.

Wednesday I went with the Tuscan Chicken Salad (Chicken Breast, Sundried Tomatoes, Carrots and Avocado on Mixed Greens)..

Loved this salad.. but how could you not!

Then today I got the Optima Sandwich (Hummus spread, Avocado, Spinach, Tomato & Chicken on multigrain Bread)..

So I know a lot of you, like me, are huge sweet potato fans. Well Nourish is becoming quickly known for their Sweet Potato fries, which are air-fried without oil. They actually have 4 different kinds (regular, waffle, pepper and tatter-tot/puffed). This was my first time trying them.. and.. ahh.. wow. Now just 3 other varieties to try, haha

I’ve also had the chance to try little bites of the gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie and Gluten Free Corn Bread.. both delicious. I actually really like many gluten-free products. I don’t think they taste a whole lot like the traditional version, but I like them in a whole separate way. You know.. like Tex-Mex vs. authentic Mexican.. not the same at all, but both tasty goodness.

Mexcian-Style Spaghetti Squash

Dinner tonight was completely thrown together with random ingredients left in the fridge: 1 c Spaghetti Squash, a few tablespoons Salsa, 1/2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast, 1/4 c Veggie Cheddar Shreds, 2 oz Chicken Breast, ~2 tbsp Guacamole Hummus and a dollop of plain Greek Yogurt.. So simple, so good!

Almond Milk Protein Ice Cream is on the menu for dessert.. I’ll letcha know if I come up with anything fun!

FUN

The John Mayer concert last night was great! I was a little bummed at first because it’s a tradition of one of my good friends and I to go together, but it just didn’t work out this year. Fortunately I was with a great group of girlfriends, and it’s impossible to feel too stressed with JM on guitar  It was crazy hot, and a couple hours into the concert you could see the haze of sweat humidity (ok, probably other things too, haha) above the crowd. But no matter, I definitely wouldn’t trade it to be inside.. there’s just something so lovely about an outdoor amphitheater concert.. especially if you have a drink (perhaps ).

Have you been to any concerts lately? Who? Good?

Gluten-free products.. have you tried them? Do you like? What are your faves?

I can’t believe it’s already Friday.. have a wonderful one!

FITNESS

Just a standard Leg & SS Cardio Day..

Weights: Legs.. Wide-Leg Squats, Front Squats, Squat Jumps, Leg Press, Toe Raises, Hamstring Curls, Singled-leg Hamstring Curls, Leg Extensions, Glute Kickbacks

Cardio: Same thing, just split into 2 session.. Alternating 5 min. Jog at 6.0 with 5 min. 10% Incline Walk for 60 min. total.

Tomorrow’s check-in day with my trainer.. I’m a little worried, but it’s the numbers that tell the story so we’ll see!

NUTRITION

I’ve been in the mood for this for a while, but kept forgetting to mix it up the night before.. Vegan Overnight Oats with a side of Slimmed PB Protein Ice Cream..

After lifting I was so ready for lunch.. which means no creativity :p .. and I’m just diggin this salad lately.. Baby Spinach with Pinto Beans, Salsa and Artichokes.. I dived in, with no photo-evidence. But it looked the same as yesterday.

Beans

With my current macro-mix, beans have been the perfect addition to my diet. I’ve always liked them, but it’s one of those foods that I tend to forget about. But check out all the lovely benefits:

• Vegetarian protein
• High in Fiber
• High in Iron & Vitamin B

Tips to make them more digestable:

• Soak beans for several days, changing the water twice daily, until a small tail forms on the beans.
• Use a pressure cooker. This also cuts down cooking time.
• Experiment with your ability to digest beans. Smaller beans like adzuki, lentils, mung beans and peas digest most easily. Pinto, kidney, navy, black-eyed peas, garbanzo, lima and black beans are harder to digest. Soybeans and black soybeans are the most difficult beans to digest.
• Experiment with combinations, ingredients and seasonings. Legumes combine best with green or non-starchy vegetables and seaweeds.
• Season with unrefined sea salt, miso or soy sauce near the end of cooking. If salt is added at the beginning, the beans will not cook completely. Salt is a digestive aid when used correctly.
• Adding fennel or cumin near the end of cooking helps prevent gas.
• Pour a little apple cider, brown rice or white wine vinegar into the water in the last stages of cooking. This softens the beans and breaks down protein chains and indigestible compounds.
• Take enzymes with your meal.

Source: Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Revamped

Jenna had a scrumptious looking Banana Zucchini Bread on her blog the other day, which reminded me it was about time to make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins again. This time I made a couple changes to fit my macros:

Even More Slim, Low-Carb Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder

1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Stevia Extract to taste

1/4 c Egg Whites

~1 c grated Zucchini (1 medium)

Mix dry ingredients together first, then mix in Egg Whites, and fold in Zucchini. Pour into sprayed muffin tin and bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.

I compensated for subtracting a scoop of Protein Powder by not adding Apple Sauce, and it worked great. The texture was the same and the Stevia gave them plenty of sweetness.

Stats for the whole batch (made 4 muffins)..

Welcome Back

Eden had a post on Spaghetti Squash the other day, which reminded me that it’d also been way too long since I’d had it! So dinner was 1 cup Spaghetti Squash (roasted at 375 F for 40 min.) with 4 oz cooked Tilapia, Crushed Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic and the last bit of Fat-Free Feta.. completely hit the spot

It’ll be the usual for dessert tonight.. I’m leaning towards a PB Ice Cream (using 2 tbsp Sugar-Free PB Syrup) and Waffle Protein Cookie (using Capella flavor drops)..

FUN

Do you watch Mad Men? I’ve seen every episode, but don’t currently have my television plugged into cable (just the DVD player), so I missed the premiere. But regardless, if you’ve seen the show then you have to agree that the lovely Lara, of Thinspired, would be perfect.. vote for her to have a walk on role on the show!

What’s your favorite sweet bread? I think mine would have to be Pumpkin.. though Banana Chocolate Chip runs a close 2nd..

While watching, I saw a preview for the new season of ‘The Biggest Loser.’ I’ve mentioned my general opinion of the show (not a tremendously positive one), but there is something I really like about this season (and I think they’ve done it before).. they’re focusing on family. Last night, I was in a conversation with a few friends about how America got into its current health state. Naturally I have some pretty strong feelings about this, and I always love hearing others perspectives & opinions. One of the topics that came up was the debate over the  extent to which one’s diet and exercise habits are influenced by how they are raised, and the potential difficulty in overcoming such habits. I’m happy to see that Biggest Loser will be addressing this issue. In the preview, a mother takes the blame for her son’s obesity. I agree that she would be partially to blame, but the son she’s speaking of is full grown, and clearly well aware that the health choices he’s been making, for probably the past decade, are very detrimental. I haven’t come to a conclusion on this issue. Generally, I think it is pretty common knowledge that eating fast food hamburgers/fries/burritos/fried-anything everyday is unhealthy. In America today, with the extensive variety of food we have at our fingertips, you can pretty much find a relatively healthy option anywhere, including fast food establishments (I can’t in good conscious call them restaurants.. strong feelings much? :p ). So, I have trouble giving into the excuse that unhealthy eating habits are the result of an addiction or insurmountable. If you know it’s bad, and you continue to do it, maybe it’s your fault. And I include myself in this. My unhealthy tendencies have never been fast food related, but there are certainly things I’ve done, over and over, knowing they were negative to my overall health. This is a difficult topic to address so briefly because there are sooo many components and influential factors that go into it; namely sociological, economical, psychological, etc. As I continue my education, through both IIN and my own personal reading and exploration, I look forward to delving into this more.

* Please note though, that I am speaking of people who are otherwise physically & mentally capable.

Coincidentally, I also came across this article today: How We Became a Society of Gluttonous Junk Food Addicts (linked to this from a cool site called Wellness Uncovered), which talks about how fast foods and generally chemically created products really are addictive. Who knows.. for every article claiming one thing, you can find another saying the opposite. So I just try to do my best to gather information from as many different sources and perspectives as I can.

And lastly, have you seen those ridiculous ‘Taco Bell Diet’ commercials?! omg! I think I might end up throwing something at the TV, gah! ..

Musical Musings

On a completely different note.. you know when a song totally just clicks with you, and not necessarily because it tells your story, but you just instantly like it.. I love that. Here are a few songs I’m totally diggin a few songs right now:

John Mayer – Perfectly Lonely

Dave Matthews – You & Me

Flipsyde- Angel

FITNESS

I had all sorts of motivation today.. unfortunately my physical self didn’t seem to get the memo. I hit the gym to work back & core, but was just feeling.. blah. I felt heavy and sluggish. I got through okay, but it wasn’t my best. I know it’s mainly the repercussions of my not-so-clean eats yesterday. I didn’t go crazy or anything, but I did have (my last lil bit of) sugar, and quite a few cheese & cracker based appetizers. I was a little bummed leaving the gym, but I know just getting in there and starting to work out the ickiness means that I’ll feel tons better tomorrow!

Sunset Yoga

I did a relaxing Flow class later in the evening. I hadn’t been to this location before.. it’s actually at the spa of a really nice resort. The class started right around sunset, and oh my goodness, I wish I had my camera! The spa balcony looked out over Camelback mountain, and the unbelievably gorgeous sunset of reds, pinks & golds made for a truly inspiring yoga backdrop. Growing up in the Northwest my sheltered view of scenic beauty generally involved green trees, snowcapped mountains and ocean views, but the desert has won me over. I’ve lived here over a year and a half and the sunsets still blow me away every time. What a perfect way to start 2010

For example, tonight it was something like this..

A friend of mine took this pic of one of our fairly typical sunsets.. wow!

NUTRITION

Off to a lovely ’10 start!

The best part about making those cookies yesterday, was that it left me with a almost empty peanut butter jar So breakfast was, naturally, Pumpkin Oats (1/4 c Oats, 1/8 c Oat Bran, 1/4 c Pumpkin, 1 tbsp Wheat Germ). Twas delicious, though I totally spaced on adding Protein Powder, oops..

Post-workout I went with my go to mid-day snack of late.. Protein Yogurt with Maple Apples, then topped it with a couple tablespoons of TJ’s Omega Trail Mix.

Squash Sluttery

Today I slutted myself out to multiple squashes.. and I’m not ashamed to say it! First, there was my true love, Kabocha, which teamed up with 1/2 c Cottage Cheese for a pre-Yoga snack.

I’ve had a Spaghetti Squash sitting around for weeks now, and tonight was its night to impress me.. and I swoon :p Foreplay involved me cutting it in half, scooping out the seed and roasting it cut-side down in a 375 F oven for 40.

Next, I used a fork to scoop out the “meat” into this lovely noodle looking form. To spice it up, I mean you never want to let things get dull, I topped 1 cup of the squash strands with 3 oz Wild Coho Salmon and 1/2 c Cottage Cheese.

Wow! I am completely a new member of the Spaghetti Squash fan club. It has a slightly nutty flavor and went so well with the salmon.  1 cup was the perfect serving size, and now for the ridiculously happy news:

What a perfect low cal substitute for starchy carbs like pasta and rice.

Nightcap

I was low on protein for the day, so a high protein snack was in order to cap off the night. I’ve pretty sure you can mix a good protein powder with egg whites &/or pumpkin, pop it in the microwave and it’ll be eatable.. if you like that sort of thing :p This was only ok, but I add a little Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup and UVAB and was good to go..

Thankful

Perhaps I was just more attentive to it because it’s the 1st of the year, but today little things kept reminding me of how incredibly fortunate I am, and how truly thankful I am very everything that happened in 2009. When life gets hectic it’s so easy to speed through life stressing about daily activities & responsibilities. So I’ve added another resolution: to take a moment everyday to simply be appreciative, and to be better about sharing my thanks. I know that sounds pretty cheesy and simplistic, but I know I’m guilty of taking components of my life for granted, or perhaps more accurately, failing to express my gratitude. Life’s too short!