Random Facts Friday

1.  I am a bit OCD (okay, the Hubby would say I am ALOT OCD) when it comes to my countertops in the kitchen and bathroom. I hate those annoying water spots, so I find myself wiping down the counter tops a lot.

This stuff works great on granite!  Clen the counter and then use this to make it shine!

2.  I often get “runners brain” on a long run. Get me past 15 miles and I am lucky to remember my own  name. Heaven forbid I am running in unfamiliar territory…I might be lucky to get back to my car.

Ever feel like this?  I know I have, hahahaha!

 3.  I am pretty good at a lot of things, but not really great at any. (Jack of all trades, ace of none!) For

example, here are some things I dabbled in, but never really became awesome at any of them:

• Dance
• Gymnastics
• Ice Skating
• Guitar
• Photography
• Pageants (long story)
• Surfing
• Running
• Biking
• Swimming
• Gardening
• HR

And the list goes on…

At surf camp...yes, those are loooooong boards.

4.  I make my bed everyday. Okay, on the weekdays I don’t take the time to also add all the decorative pillows, but on the days I am home I do. My bedroom may be a total and complete mess (which it typically isn't because I am OCD), but somehow if the bed is made, I don’t mind the mess as much.

Even here the bed is missing a few pillows, but you get the idea.

5.  I was born and raised in Houston. Moving to the suburbs was a big change for me. I love Houston, even with it’s traffic, it’s huge roaches, it’s bayous, its mosquitos, its diversity…I LOVE HOUSTON. In fact,  for the longest time I thought it was the best city in the world.

And then I went to NYC. 

But, I still love Houston.

Isn't it pretty?  And see, there are running trails!  source

Randomness

Just a couple of things I wanted to share...

First, Nike always does the most fantastic  job of creating amazingly inspirational marketing videos.  I absolutely love this one and thought I'd share it.  (And, I am not just saying that because I idolize Joan Benoit Samuelson!)



Also, I posted a few weeks ago about the "dirty dozen" of fruits and vegetables.  Here's a great little list my FB friend, Bobbi, posted.  I love the easy to use little guide and actually printed it out and put it on my fridge.

Finally, I leave you with this...because you, my blogger friends, are badasses!

Weighing In - Week 3

It's week 3 and I am surprisingly happy with the foods I have been eating.  I had a rough time this weekend, though.  The Kiddo asked if we could make cookies for her sleepover on Saturday, so I agreed.  Turns out the guest really wasn't into cookies, so I somehow managed to eat a couple (or four).  They were small cookies!  Then, I went to a baby shower on Sunday.  The food was incredible!  But, I managed to just have some fruit, cheese and a teeny bit of Greek salad.  Oh, but I did have some super sweet champagne punch (bad!).  And, I may or may not have indulged in some Lemon Curd that was given to each guest in a cute little mason jar to take home...I had never had lemon curd and it was so yummy!

Now that it's Monday again, I have vowed to get back on track.  Although, I have to admit that I wasn't all that excited about this week's menu - orange roughy, canned tuna and salmon all in the same day.  For 7 days straight!  Don't get me wrong, I do love fish...but this was a little much.  So, I decided to exchange the orange roughy for chicken.  And, I have never really liked Salmon...that is until the Hubby brought home some Sockeye Salmon a couple of weeks ago.  It was delicious, so that's what I bought this week.

BREAKFAST
In the mornings, I get to eat breakfast tacos!  They're made with corn tortillas, ground turkey, egg whites and pico de gallo.  Oh, and I get to eat 1/2 of an orange! I don't know why,  but eating this makes me feel incredibly full, although I am eating the same amount of calories as the previous two weeks.

Very filling breakfast!

MORNING SNACK

My morning snack consists of a Kind Fruit and Nut bar and another orange!  The Kind bar tasted like a true cheat treat...it's so yummy!

LUNCH
This is where I made the switch - I exchanged the orange roughy for chicken.  Sorry, I just can't do fish 3 times in one day!  I also get 3 ounces of sweet potato and 3 ounces of green beans. 

Okay, so this was a little less than 3 oz of chicken...the stuff shrinks when you cook it!

AFTERNOON SNACK

Here's my 1st fish of the day - solid white tuna mixed with mustard and relish.  I also get a side of almonds and an apple.  Again, I feel like this is a lot of food!

More food!

DINNER

Here's my next serving of fish...Salmon on a bed of cooked spinach and quinoa (a 1/2 cup, which seems like a lot!), with asparagus on the side. Once again, I am feeling totally full after this!

I wasn't sure about the cooked spinach...I typically prefer raw, but combined this was awesome!

EVENING SNACK

Hooray, I can eat blueberries again!  I have to admit, I put these in the Munchkin's lunch everyday and I always catch myself eating a few.  I have really missed my berries, so this is a great treat - Greek yogurt, blueberries and a packet of Truvia - yum!

I used to eat this for breakfast everyday

I have to admit that eating this way (with no processed foods whatsoever) makes me realize that I was eating more processed crap than I thought.  I am totally and completely enjoying this!  It helps that I am down another 1.5 lbs, too.  And, I am not really craving chocolate or cookies...well, maybe margaritas,...but I am craving good things like raspberries and blueberries!  Now, when I actually crave veggies like cooked spinach and brussel sprouts, well then we'll officially have a breakthrough! That Pink Girl once made a comment about how it'd be nice if only they made veggies that tasted like candy, lol! 

If only...

The Week in Pictures

This week was especially awesome, because it was a 4-day work week for me. The hubby and I both had Friday off from work and planned to spend the day with the kids.  It just so happened that this day off coincided with the opening of the new Disney Pixar movie, Brave.  I'm a sucker for most Disney movies, so naturally when the kids wanted to see it, I was more than happy to take them!  We loved the movie - great story!

The Munchkin and Kiddo with their special movie treats waiting for the show!

On Saturday, the Hubby and I both had a bike ride - 1:45 hours for me, 2:30 hours for the Hubs.  I went first, since I am more likely to wake up and get going before the sun is up.  This ride went really well!  My average speed was up compared to last week, so I was pleased with this.  And, there are benefits to getting out early - I saw the most gorgeous sunrise!



I actually pulled over to get a pic of this...my iPhone camera doesn't do it justice!


And, I am lucky that we have an awesome community to ride in each week - there are gorgeous houses, very few cars and lots of wildlife...speaking of wildlife, during my ride I spotted:

• 5 or 6 rabbits
• 2 deer
• 1 armadillo
• A bobcat (!!!) - It ran across the road and I had no idea what it was, but a runner up ahead confirmed that it was indeed a bobcat. Crazy!
• 1 man on a Segway "walking" his Standard Poodle 
• 1 man on an Eliptigo

Okay, so the last two were not really "wildlife", but they were kind of funny to see.  And, when I arrived home, I spotted this critter in our flower beds...

Sorry, but I HATE snakes...I think my gardening days are coming to an abrupt halt!

Also on Saturday, the Kiddo had a friend spend the night...as usual, I made sure they were nice and tired by the end of the day.  They spent a lot time time playing on the Slip and Slide and in the water.  I am a big fan of getting the kids to play outdoors, and with this heat the only thing they can do comfortably outdoors is play in the water.

Yep, when friends come over we get cool stuff like CapriSun!

Eating outdoors!  Trying to enjoy the patio when it's not quite 100+ degrees!

On Sunday, the Kiddo had a birthday party and I took the Munchkin to the pool.  Apparently, my efforts to get the kids nice and tired worked...the Munchkin fell asleep watching TV.  This almost never happens...neither of my kids usually stay still long enough to fall asleep!

The Kiddo had some fun when the Munchkin fell asleep...I know it was mean, but notice that I took a picture anyway.

So that's it for the week in pictures.  Hope you had an awesome weekend!!!

Weighing In - Week 2

Welcome to week two of my journey to "eat less crap".  Also known as my journey to "lose a few".  Also known as my journey to "lose the flab".  Also known as my journey to "detox from the sweets".  Also known as....well, you get the idea.  So here's what I am eating this week...

BREAKFAST

I love eggs, but just eating scrambled egg whites isn't my thing.  Luckily, I can mix in up to 2 tablespoons of salsa.  Adding salsa to eggs isn't really my thing either, but it does make the egg whites taste a bit better.  It kinda reminds me of when I was a kid and my aunt put ketchup in her eggs.  Ick.  I also get to eat a serving of granola with almond milk...now this, my friends, is quite yummy!

My eggs and salsa...I actually left in one yolk in this batch.  Once I realized it tasted better with salsa, I left the yolk out going forward.

The granola and almond milk...I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and this is yummo!

MORNING SNACK
The morning snack was super simple compared to all the chopping I had to do last week.  And, this snack is what I am really used to eating - light string cheese and a orange.  I was so thrilled to see more fruit this week!

The orange and sting cheese - supah easy!

LUNCH
Lunch did require a little chopping, but not too bad.  This week's lunch consists of ground turkey, black beans, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Pretty simple and pretty tasty, although not my favorite dish so far.  I am not a big tomato person, so it's a bit tomato-y for my taste.  I used enough of the ingredients to make 4 servings. 

Excuse the plastic container!

AFTERNOON SNACK

Again, super easy and something I would normally eat.  Well, the almonds at least.  I've never been that fond of pears, but now that I am eating them, I am not sure why I didn't like them.  I am loving them this week!  Maybe it's because I am that happy to have fruit again!?

Lovin' me some almonds and pears!

DINNER

This week's dinner is also something I am totally enjoying - stir fry!  It's a combination of shrimp, red bell peppers, onions with a little soy sauce over brown rice.  And get this, I get a 1/2 cup of brown rice this week!!!  Last week, I was only allowed 1/4 cup!



This is super yummy!!

EVENING SNACK

Just like last week, this snack incorporates Greek yogurt, but this time with Truvia and applesauce.  It sounds really weird, but it's actually pretty good!  Barleans Forti-Flax was also on the menu for the evening..I couldn't find it at my local grocer, so I decided that rather than go to another store, I'd just buy the flax oil at that store.  Big mistake!  Mixing flax oil into anything is just plain nasty!  I decided to skip this supplement until I have time to go to someplace like GNC.



So that's my menu for the week.  I am really enjoying the foods!  I did splurge a bit on Sunday when we went out to eat for Father's day, but that's it.  The Hubs and kids even had pizza and bread sticks the other day and I didn't feel very tempted by it.  I am hoping that by not having junk food for over a week that I have finally lost some of the cravings!  And, the best part is that by Sunday morning, I was down 4 pounds!

As for the rest of the week, I ran 2x but skipped my Saturday run, because my hip felt a little more achy than usual.  It feels better now, but I didn't want to take any changes.  I also managed P90X for my upper body 2x.  Finally, I also got in 1 1/2 hours on the bike over the weekend, which felt awesome!  My pace was a bit slower than the previous week, but all in all it was a good ride!



Some views from my bike ride


The Hubs and I took the kids to a local farmer's market on Saturday.  We really just wanted to see what they had to offer.  It was small, but we found everything from grass-fed organic beef and chicken, cage free eggs, lots of awesome produce and some cool soaps, cheeses and various types of spreads (almond, peanut, etc).  We will definitely be back!

The Farmer's Market

How was your weekend?  Any good training? Races?  Have you shopped at a local farmer's market?

Weighing In

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I fell off the wagon a bit with my nutrition.  I really let stress and long hours at work become my excuse for eating poorly. Then, I climbed back on the wagon and started eating healthy again.

Well, sort of. 

You see, I am really good at planning out healthy meals and snacks, then eating that.  However, I am also really good about getting off track just enough to sabotage the earlier meal planning and workouts. 

What do I mean?

Well, I will eat my Greek yogurt with berries and Stevia in the morning, my string cheese and apple as a snack, my Lean Cuisine for lunch, my edamame and berries in the afternoon and then a grilled chicken breast and veggies for dinner.  But, I also eat the rest of the kid's grilled cheese, that birthday cake and the work birthday social, that 1/2 cookie from the cookie tray that a vendor dropped off at work, etc.  Not horrible, but just enough.  Seriously, I am not even hungry, but I still do this! 

Ugh.  Same old story, different day.

source

So, I decided that I needed to try something different.  Last week, I had a nutritional consultation with Chiro #1 (remember him?).  He did a metabolic rate test.  And, I stood on a machine like this...

source

This machine gives a reading on all kinds of cool things - Total Body Water, Protein, osseous / non-osseous Minerals, Body Fat Mass, and Skeletal Muscle Mass.  Cool, huh?

Based on all of the information, the doc determined the amount of calories (1,500) and water (100 oz per day) I need to intake daily in order to lose about 1.25 pounds per week.  I don't really have much to lose (~10 lbs), but I would like to lower my body fat percentage (much lower!).  The doc also took into account the type of workouts I am currently able to do.  That was one issue I had - how the heck should you eat when you can't do any hard core cardio???  It's easy when you run 10 miles - hey, I get to eat a burger now!  But when you only get to walk and do upper body strengthening...I'd venture to guess the burger is not a good idea.  (Not that it was anyway!)  The doc also asked me if there are things that I especially like (chocolate) or do not like to eat.

Later that same day, the doc sent me a very specific eating plan for the next 4 weeks.  When I say "very specific", I mean that literally, I have a menu of what I should be eating for each meal and each snack.  And I eat the same menu for 7 days straight.  Now, it's not as bad as it sounds...there is a list of exchanges.  So, if I am sick of talapia fillets, I can swap it out for a grilled chicken breast.

So here's what week #1 looks like:

Breakfast:
For breakfast, I cook steel cut oats in almond milk, add in cinnamon, truvia and a small box of raisins.  I also eat 3 egg whites, which can be scrambled or boiled.  I prefer boiled, because it's quick and easy!  Honestly, this is my favorite meal of the day, because it's sweet.  Trust me, when you see the rest of the menu, you will understand why!

  

The ingredients

 

The finished product


Morning Snack:
I have a combination of cucumber, tomatoes, brown rice, black beans, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.  This is yummy and quite refreshing in the summer!

Yummy!  Lots of cucumbers and tomatoes with a little rice and beans mixed in!

Lunch:
This meal is pretty simple - a tilapia fillet, raw broccoli and red potatoes.  After 3 days, I broke down and steamed the broccoli just a little...I hate eating raw veggies!  I know raw is better, but if I can't stand it, then what's the point?

Lunch!  Pretty filling and yummy, too!

Afternoon Snack:
This is probably my least favorite snack.  I mix 1/2 a can of tuna with mustard and pickle relish and put it all on a unsalted, brown rice cake.  I like tuna, but I'd normally add a bit of mayo to the mix and I can't do that now.



My afternoon snack...

 Dinner:
Dinner is quite yummy!  I get a skewer of chicken, shrimp, onion and red bell pepper - yum!  Plus, brown rice (only 1/4 cup) and asparagus. I accidentally left asparagus off my grocery list, so I exchanged it for green beans.

The dinner and lunch...the secret is to prepare a few days at a time!

My sides...all ready for the next few days!

Evening Snack:
I wasn't too sure what I would think about the evening snack. I mix 0% Greek Yogurt, 1/2 scoop protein powder and almond milk together to make a "pudding".  I forgot to take a picture of it, but it's not much to look at.  Honestly, it's white with the consistency of a very runny yogurt.  The first time I ate it, I thought it was nasty.  However, it's funny how different things taste when you haven't had any sweets for a few days...now I find myself really liking this snack!

For me, the secret is to cook a few days of food at a time.  Seriously, who has time to cook a complete meal every single night?  I spent a few hours on Sunday evening chopping and cooking everything for the next few days.  And then did the same thing on Wednesday.  I think I now have a system down, so it took a lot less time to do the second time around.  And, with the 1st batch of food, I didn't have any options with salt-free seasoning.  (I did a recent pantry purge and most of my spices had expired.)  I have to say that after 3 days, I wanted something other than lemon on my food!  So, I picked up a couple of good salt-free seasonings for batch #2 and I am soooooo much happier!  I was also surprised to see brown rice and potatoes on the menu...those were two things that I had pretty much sworn off completely.  But, the amounts are very small...everything in moderation, I guess.

This Sunday, I get to start a whole new menu!  I am so excited, because I get to eat an orange and string cheese every day!  And, I get to have a pear each day!  I never thought I'd be so excited to eat fruit again...but I am!

I have had a couple of work lunches that had me worried about the plan, but I managed to do just fine.  I think while my sweet tooth misses it's daily fix, I will survive without the crap.  The good news is that I do get to splurge here and there, so when I get a craving for something I just can't live without, I will satisfy it and get right back on track...isn't that what we're supposed to do anyway?

So, I hope you enjoy my journey on really cutting out the crap and getting down to business with this nutrition stuff!

Do you already eat a similar diet?  Have you worked with a nutritionist?  If so, how'd it go?

Summertime

Hello world!  Yes, it's me.  I'm sorry that I've been gone for so long, but life has been busy...I know you can relate. :-)  I am trying to catch up on my blog reading and posting, but it might take awhile. 

So here's what we've been up to...

We spent the 1st weekend of summer taking it easy and continuing traditions....we went to McDonald's for breakfast to celebrate the 1st day of summer break.  Yes, this was the kid's pick, but we did it last year and suddenly it has been labeled "a tradition"!  We bought a slip and slide and spent most of the weekend outdoors.  We also visited our favorite Tex-Mex place...they put dot stickers on the silverware packets, which somehow always either end up on the kid's noses or on the back of my shirt.

We also participated in the Astros' Race for the Pennant.  For the 1st time, I was not able to run the 5k.  The Hubs was planning to run it, but has been dealing with achilles issues.  So, the kids both ran the kid's K and did a great job.  This was the Munchkin's 1st time running it and he was super proud of his 1st medal.  This was the Kiddo's 3 time running.  We all had a great time and the best part?  Free tickets to the Astros game!

We've done lots of other random stuff.  Our veggies are growing like crazy!  We have used our homegrown Basil on our pizza and the cucumbers have come in handy with summer salads.  Our tomatoes are growing, but have yet to produce. An we may or may not have enjoyed a frosty adult beverage (or two) on the patio.  And yes, I have even enjoyed a Joint Juice on the patio, lol!

The Hubs and I are still working out.  I am up to 2 minutes running/1 minute walking...finally, I can run more than I can walk!!!  I even met up with my Woodlands Fit peeps for a short run on Saturday.  I have been riding my bike.  In fact, I rode for 1 1/2 hours on Sunday and had no issues with the hip.  I also returned to the pool on Monday.  This time, I intend to continue the swimming! And yes, the P90X continues.  I've only done it once a week for the past 2 weeks, but I plan to work the upper body 2x per week.

While it seems like I am on the right track with my hip, I am being super cautious and taking it slow.  I am running slowly and I am building up mileage and time running slowly.  It's possible that I don't need to be quite so cautious, but I am not taking any chances!!!

So how have you been?  Tell me what you've been doing - training???  Races???

Happy National Running Day!

Head over to the National Running Day website to get your badge and tell everyone why you run!  And tell me, I run...

My badge!

ps. Look for changes to this blog soon!!!