Exercise: Today 60 mins elliptical and 12 mins strength and core. 4 mile run Saturday. 45 min elliptical, strength and 2 mile walk on Sunday.
It took about 10 minutes to realize a paleo style diet would definitely not work for me. Paleo diets are great because of the focus on whole foods and raw eating but it's also very meat centric. That is the part I have an issue with. I am not a vegetarian but my diet is 90% plant based. I'm really only eating meat once a week and the rest of the days I focus on soy, legumes and high protein grains for my protein source. Soooo I think instead of paleo 90% of the time I'll try to eat more whole foods and my main goal will be reducing processed foods. So pasta and bread a no, quinoa and amaranth a yes. But I'm still leaving myself an out so I can have pizza or something once a week.
And I've done well so far. According to the scale I've had a .8 weight loss since Saturday. I'll take it! The core and ab focused workout has been very successful. I feel like I already feel a difference in my jeans, but who knows, I could be crazy.
On Sunday Music Man happened to be home while I was working out. He rarely sees me workout because he's either at work or exercising himself or I cut out my weight routine and just do cardio. I did my 45 minutes of cardio but wanted to get in my weights so he watched my whole 25 minute routine. By the end he just kinda stared at me and said "So you can totally kick my ass now." Ha! I'm an ass kicker.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
21 Days
Little man is cutting 2 new teeth which means sleep has been erratic. He's been waking up early but then eventually going back to sleep. But if it's after 4am my body won't go back to sleep, so I stay up. On one hand I'm pretty tired, but I'm most definitely a morning person so I enjoy having this little bit of time to myself in the morning to do stuff. I'm especially happy to start writing this particular post at 6am because it means I'm more likely to stick with it today.
My weight loss to date is pretty amazing and I am very happy with the results so far but I've been going through these phases where I lose weight then maintain, lose weight-maintain, and so on. This is a normal and healthy cycle but I think I've finally figured out what my ideal weight should be and I'm so close it's time to just get there. I've lost these 75+ pounds without dieting; mainly just exercise, eating less and making better choices. I haven't been making the best choices lately so it's time to get back on track and get 'er done.
There are vanity issues at play here as well. We have plans to go to Lake Havasu near the end of October for a long weekend. It's a beautiful time of year and I'm really looking forward to relaxing on the boat and in the water. Which means it's swimsuit time. I've been around random strangers in my bathing suit but now I have to be around a bunch of people I know and it would be nice to feel confident in my skin.
The trip is exactly 12 weeks away. And funny, My weight loss goal is 12 pounds away.
So what's the plan? 21 Days. Rather than set weekly or monthly goals I'm going to set 21 day goals. Research shows it takes 21 days to develop a habit so I'm going to split my 12 weeks into 4 segments of creating good health habits and hopefully losing a little weight. And keeping with my strategy of not overwhelming myself I'm going to start with 2 fairly simple goals to ease into this.
My first 21:
Aug 6th-26th
1. Work my core. I'll still do my whole body tone, but I'm going to focus strongly on my core strength. I've found a few workouts online that seem great so I figure I'll just choose 3, give each one a week, and see how it goes. I'll also give you guys a review. First week ab workout.
2. Paleo. I'm not going to go totally crazy but it's time to start eating clean. More fruits, veggies, nuts and healthy snacks. No more cheese crackers, cookies dipped in pb, and pasta all the time. I'm keeping my ice cream though. I'll make another batch of peanut butter that's agave and stevia sweetened, but limit myself to one scoop. Oh and I'm keeping caffeine. You know those cavemen would be stoked on a cup of coffee. My goal is 90 percent paleo, I figure this way I'm not setting myself up for failure.
Here goes everything!
P.S. I've added a 21 Days tab in case you want to keep track of my progress.
My weight loss to date is pretty amazing and I am very happy with the results so far but I've been going through these phases where I lose weight then maintain, lose weight-maintain, and so on. This is a normal and healthy cycle but I think I've finally figured out what my ideal weight should be and I'm so close it's time to just get there. I've lost these 75+ pounds without dieting; mainly just exercise, eating less and making better choices. I haven't been making the best choices lately so it's time to get back on track and get 'er done.
There are vanity issues at play here as well. We have plans to go to Lake Havasu near the end of October for a long weekend. It's a beautiful time of year and I'm really looking forward to relaxing on the boat and in the water. Which means it's swimsuit time. I've been around random strangers in my bathing suit but now I have to be around a bunch of people I know and it would be nice to feel confident in my skin.
The trip is exactly 12 weeks away. And funny, My weight loss goal is 12 pounds away.
So what's the plan? 21 Days. Rather than set weekly or monthly goals I'm going to set 21 day goals. Research shows it takes 21 days to develop a habit so I'm going to split my 12 weeks into 4 segments of creating good health habits and hopefully losing a little weight. And keeping with my strategy of not overwhelming myself I'm going to start with 2 fairly simple goals to ease into this.
My first 21:
Aug 6th-26th
1. Work my core. I'll still do my whole body tone, but I'm going to focus strongly on my core strength. I've found a few workouts online that seem great so I figure I'll just choose 3, give each one a week, and see how it goes. I'll also give you guys a review. First week ab workout.
2. Paleo. I'm not going to go totally crazy but it's time to start eating clean. More fruits, veggies, nuts and healthy snacks. No more cheese crackers, cookies dipped in pb, and pasta all the time. I'm keeping my ice cream though. I'll make another batch of peanut butter that's agave and stevia sweetened, but limit myself to one scoop. Oh and I'm keeping caffeine. You know those cavemen would be stoked on a cup of coffee. My goal is 90 percent paleo, I figure this way I'm not setting myself up for failure.
Here goes everything!
P.S. I've added a 21 Days tab in case you want to keep track of my progress.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Five for Friday
Exercise: 60 mins elliptical 25 mins strength. I used a few exercises from The Fitnessista, Carrots N' Cake, and One Fit Foodie. I love these ladies because I feel like I have 3 personal trainers. Between them I have a new weight workout every few days.
1. I was thinking today that it's funny that I started this blog all pumped about running an ultra marathon and then stopped running. But this blog is about so much more to me than just running. I have had blogs before but each had a clear theme: food blog, baby blog, but this one, this is my blog. It's about ALL things I'm ULTRA passionate about: food, family and fitness. And although I do love running it's not all that I am, just something I love to do.
2. Jogging stroller is fixed! That means that when Little Man wakes up we can head out on a quick 4 miler. So looking forward to it.
3. Made a super tasty and not in the least bit healthy white lasagna with asparagus last night. No boil noodles. Ricotta and grated parmesan mixed w/ coconut milk to the consistency of runny yogurt. Dash of nutmeg and s&p. Caramelized onion and asparagus. Mozzarella. Layer 3 times topping with noodles, ricotta and cheese then cover with foil. Bake 30 mins 350, remove foil bake another 10 mins. Perfection.
4. Little man learned to jump today, not quite getting air yet, but pretty darn cute.
5. I think it's time to set some simple fitness goals for myself. Maybe just 1 thing monthly that I can stick to. Obviously, run every day won't be on there, but maybe something attainable like up my ab workout to 7 minutes. I may add a weight loss goal in there as well. Stay tuned.
1. I was thinking today that it's funny that I started this blog all pumped about running an ultra marathon and then stopped running. But this blog is about so much more to me than just running. I have had blogs before but each had a clear theme: food blog, baby blog, but this one, this is my blog. It's about ALL things I'm ULTRA passionate about: food, family and fitness. And although I do love running it's not all that I am, just something I love to do.
2. Jogging stroller is fixed! That means that when Little Man wakes up we can head out on a quick 4 miler. So looking forward to it.
3. Made a super tasty and not in the least bit healthy white lasagna with asparagus last night. No boil noodles. Ricotta and grated parmesan mixed w/ coconut milk to the consistency of runny yogurt. Dash of nutmeg and s&p. Caramelized onion and asparagus. Mozzarella. Layer 3 times topping with noodles, ricotta and cheese then cover with foil. Bake 30 mins 350, remove foil bake another 10 mins. Perfection.
4. Little man learned to jump today, not quite getting air yet, but pretty darn cute.
5. I think it's time to set some simple fitness goals for myself. Maybe just 1 thing monthly that I can stick to. Obviously, run every day won't be on there, but maybe something attainable like up my ab workout to 7 minutes. I may add a weight loss goal in there as well. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
No to Running, Yes to Ravioli
Exercise: Both today and yesterday 60 mins elliptical, 20 mins strength. Lots of sumo squats, my thighs and butt are screamin'. I also walked 40 mins with a friend this morning so I'm looking forward to TV time and sitting down.
I started watching Mad Men on Netflix while working out and although I find it totally entertaining I was totally surprised by how dark it is and the amount of smoking...and drinking...and the pregnant ladies smoking and drinking! But the sets and costuming are pretty effin' superb. Sorry for that brief TV tangent.
Little Man has been sleeping fairly well, through the night but sometimes up early. I'm thinking that in the next few weeks I might be able to run regularly again but I need to be fairly certain he'll stay asleep. I would run with him right when he wakes up but my darn jogger tires keep popping. I run around this park and lake in my neighborhood that is known for having a lot of thorns. I wish I knew what plants they came from so I could avoid the suckers. Music Man got some thorn proof tires and even put in a gel barrier but still I get flat tires. Oh well.
Little Man is also eating more these days which is such a relief to me but now I have to be much more careful about the food he eats. I want it to be healthy and nutrient dense but the things he really likes are pizza and pasta. So I've decided to make my own.
I always make my own pizza so he's used to brown rice or whole wheat crusts, rice and light or goat cheese and tons of veggies. But the pasta is a little harder. There are some great whole wheat alternatives for penne and rotini but that's about it. So I made some whole wheat ravioli filled with ricotta, light mozzarella and spinach. He ate them for dinner last night and breakfast and lunch today. I thought it might be overkill to feed him that for dinner again. Instead I gave him some penne with broccoli, ha! not much of a change.
So if you have a pasta maker, awesome, if not, you can still make fresh pasta.
Whole Wheat Ravioli
DOUGH
2 c WW flour
1c AP flour
1t salt
3/4c water
2 eggs ( I used 1/2 c egg whites)
1T evoo
FILLING
2 c fresh spinach
1/2 c ricotta
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t nutmeg
s & p to taste
bowl with water for sealing
Mix dry ingredients, make a well, and stir in egg, then slowly add in water until you get a nice firm dough that you can roll in a ball without sticking and is not too dry. If you have a stand mixer throw in all ingredients except the water and mix on low. Slowly add water until you get the consistency you like.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and then roll out on parchment paper. If you have a machine you can stop here, if not continue rolling out the dough. If you think it's thin enough, roll it a little more, the thinner the better.
Mix the filling in a separate bowl, you can just pour them all in at once and mix
I used a small biscuit cutter to form my ravioli rounds but you can use squares and fold over to make triangles or press together to make squares, whatever you wish. Cut out as many pieces as possible and fill with 1 t filling. You can take the leftover dough and re roll it to make more ravioli or be lazy like me and simply cut it to make yourself some fettuccine. Seal ravioli by rubbing water along the edges and then press with fingers or crimp with fork.
Bring water to boiling on high, then reduce to medium high and cook the ravioli for 5-6 minutes. Once they come to the surface they just need a few more minutes to cook.
Drain and munch!
Recipe was adapted from Big Oven
I started watching Mad Men on Netflix while working out and although I find it totally entertaining I was totally surprised by how dark it is and the amount of smoking...and drinking...and the pregnant ladies smoking and drinking! But the sets and costuming are pretty effin' superb. Sorry for that brief TV tangent.
Little Man has been sleeping fairly well, through the night but sometimes up early. I'm thinking that in the next few weeks I might be able to run regularly again but I need to be fairly certain he'll stay asleep. I would run with him right when he wakes up but my darn jogger tires keep popping. I run around this park and lake in my neighborhood that is known for having a lot of thorns. I wish I knew what plants they came from so I could avoid the suckers. Music Man got some thorn proof tires and even put in a gel barrier but still I get flat tires. Oh well.
Little Man is also eating more these days which is such a relief to me but now I have to be much more careful about the food he eats. I want it to be healthy and nutrient dense but the things he really likes are pizza and pasta. So I've decided to make my own.
I always make my own pizza so he's used to brown rice or whole wheat crusts, rice and light or goat cheese and tons of veggies. But the pasta is a little harder. There are some great whole wheat alternatives for penne and rotini but that's about it. So I made some whole wheat ravioli filled with ricotta, light mozzarella and spinach. He ate them for dinner last night and breakfast and lunch today. I thought it might be overkill to feed him that for dinner again. Instead I gave him some penne with broccoli, ha! not much of a change.
So if you have a pasta maker, awesome, if not, you can still make fresh pasta.
(oops, only pic I took of finished product)
Whole Wheat Ravioli
DOUGH
2 c WW flour
1c AP flour
1t salt
3/4c water
2 eggs ( I used 1/2 c egg whites)
1T evoo
FILLING
2 c fresh spinach
1/2 c ricotta
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t nutmeg
s & p to taste
bowl with water for sealing
Mix dry ingredients, make a well, and stir in egg, then slowly add in water until you get a nice firm dough that you can roll in a ball without sticking and is not too dry. If you have a stand mixer throw in all ingredients except the water and mix on low. Slowly add water until you get the consistency you like.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and then roll out on parchment paper. If you have a machine you can stop here, if not continue rolling out the dough. If you think it's thin enough, roll it a little more, the thinner the better.
Mix the filling in a separate bowl, you can just pour them all in at once and mix
I used a small biscuit cutter to form my ravioli rounds but you can use squares and fold over to make triangles or press together to make squares, whatever you wish. Cut out as many pieces as possible and fill with 1 t filling. You can take the leftover dough and re roll it to make more ravioli or be lazy like me and simply cut it to make yourself some fettuccine. Seal ravioli by rubbing water along the edges and then press with fingers or crimp with fork.
Bring water to boiling on high, then reduce to medium high and cook the ravioli for 5-6 minutes. Once they come to the surface they just need a few more minutes to cook.
Drain and munch!
(I mixed the leftover filling with coconut milk and extra spinach for my sauce)
Recipe was adapted from Big Oven
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
You need to make this today. If you have an ice cream maker of course. If not, you should buy one if only to make this ice cream.
Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream
1 c peanut butter
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c agave nectar
1 1/4 c almond milk
2 c coconut milk
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t xanthan gum*
Use a hand mixer to mix peanut butter and sweetener for approx. 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and mix for another minute or until completely blended. Add to your ice cream maker and give it about 30 minutes to do it's thing. You can add stuff in at 25 minutes; such as chocolate chips, carob chips, or use your imagination.
*Xanthan gum can be derived from lactose which is an animal byproduct. I used Bob's Red Mill and it is not lactose derived, doesn't say but most xanthan gum is corn derived. I'm guessing you can leave it out but xanthan gum works as a binder and a thickener and it definitely gives that super creamy texture.
Enjoy!
Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream
1 c peanut butter
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c agave nectar
1 1/4 c almond milk
2 c coconut milk
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t xanthan gum*
Use a hand mixer to mix peanut butter and sweetener for approx. 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and mix for another minute or until completely blended. Add to your ice cream maker and give it about 30 minutes to do it's thing. You can add stuff in at 25 minutes; such as chocolate chips, carob chips, or use your imagination.
*Xanthan gum can be derived from lactose which is an animal byproduct. I used Bob's Red Mill and it is not lactose derived, doesn't say but most xanthan gum is corn derived. I'm guessing you can leave it out but xanthan gum works as a binder and a thickener and it definitely gives that super creamy texture.
Enjoy!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Why I'm Maintaing My Weight and not Losing Weight (and I'm ok with it)
Vietnamese style rice noodle salad with seitan (btw, autocorrect wanted me to correct seitan to satan, Could it be...SATAN?), lettuce, carrots, ginger soy dressing and cilantro
The whole fam damnily LOVED it
Spinach mushroom pizza, always pretty darn good
Herb crusted pork loin with globe artichokes and baked sweet potato fries
Spinach and baby green salad with strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. So refreshing on an almost 100 degree day
Whole wheat dough for soon-to-be homemade ravioli- update tomorrow
Music man did not approve this photo! ;)
This is my make-do-with-what-you-got dinner from tonight. Dr Praeger's veggie burgers on gf buns (best ever, better than the regular, I threw away the packaging but I'll let you know next time I buy them) with baked sweet potato fries, baked zucchini fries (I couldn't choose between the two) and snappy-sweet corn on the cob...Great make-do dinner!
Little Man seal of approval
...and the piece de resistance
Homemade vegan peanut butter ice cream and vegan strawberry-banana sherbet. The peanut butter was amazing, you couldn't even tell it was dairy free it was so rich and delicious. The straw-ban was tasty as well but couldn't possibly compare to the peanut butter. But when eaten together, hoo boy, tasted exactly like a pb&j with sliced banana. Bonus- both were both low sugar with the substitution of agave nectar. Buying an ice cream maker was a dangerous decision but so far, so so worth it.
And that's not all, folks. On a basic day I eat a ton of snacks; definitely a 3 meal 2 -3 snack person. My go to snacks are scoops of pb straight from the jar, hummus on almost anything, popcorn, BEEEEEEP ****This Post has Been Interrupted by a PB Ice Cream Break**** Greek yogurt, a pint of strawberries eaten in front of the fridge with the door open, and (hanging my head) sometimes I sneak Twizzlers for the car ride home from the store.
Maybe this post should be titled This Is Why I Work Out.
Personal Best
Exercise: 40 minutes elliptical
I was totally unmotivated to workout this morning. All I wanted to do was sit on the sofa watching HGTV and eating blueberry muffins. I told myself all I had to do was to get through 30 minutes because I figure that's a decent amount for an active rest day. I happily got to 40 minutes but Music Man came home for lunch and I have to say I wasn't even a little sad to miss my weight training. I also walked a little over a mile with Little Man and the dogs so I feel like I got some decent exercise considering the lack of drive.
I was too busy posting my vacation recap that I didn't touch on the fact that I got a pr yesterday! I ran 4 miles before everyone woke up and I got a 5k pr of 25:22 finishing the total in just under 35 minutes. That works out to 8:27 per mile and it's so close to my 5k goal of under 25 minutes, or 8:20 per mile. I still have to shave about 8 seconds from my mile to reach my 5k pr goal.
8 seconds seems like nothing but it's kinda huge in running. There are 2 plans of attack for reaching that goal. A. Speed work- I was thinking about trying to get to the track to work on some speed intervals or fartleks. B- I could try to lose 4 pounds in 3 weeks (right). I guess you shave 2 seconds from your mile pace for every pound. Obviously a mix of the 2 options would be my best bet. Although you'll see soon why losing some lb's may not be in my future.
I'm stoked on my pr though. I'd love for my 5k to be 25 minutes but I'll be happy to finish and hopefully it will be below 25:22. And I already feel motivated to workout tomorrow. I was thinking about hopping on the elliptical for a few minutes tonight and getting in some quick weights but I think my body needed rest. And I'm embracing that.
I was totally unmotivated to workout this morning. All I wanted to do was sit on the sofa watching HGTV and eating blueberry muffins. I told myself all I had to do was to get through 30 minutes because I figure that's a decent amount for an active rest day. I happily got to 40 minutes but Music Man came home for lunch and I have to say I wasn't even a little sad to miss my weight training. I also walked a little over a mile with Little Man and the dogs so I feel like I got some decent exercise considering the lack of drive.
I was too busy posting my vacation recap that I didn't touch on the fact that I got a pr yesterday! I ran 4 miles before everyone woke up and I got a 5k pr of 25:22 finishing the total in just under 35 minutes. That works out to 8:27 per mile and it's so close to my 5k goal of under 25 minutes, or 8:20 per mile. I still have to shave about 8 seconds from my mile to reach my 5k pr goal.
8 seconds seems like nothing but it's kinda huge in running. There are 2 plans of attack for reaching that goal. A. Speed work- I was thinking about trying to get to the track to work on some speed intervals or fartleks. B- I could try to lose 4 pounds in 3 weeks (right). I guess you shave 2 seconds from your mile pace for every pound. Obviously a mix of the 2 options would be my best bet. Although you'll see soon why losing some lb's may not be in my future.
I'm stoked on my pr though. I'd love for my 5k to be 25 minutes but I'll be happy to finish and hopefully it will be below 25:22. And I already feel motivated to workout tomorrow. I was thinking about hopping on the elliptical for a few minutes tonight and getting in some quick weights but I think my body needed rest. And I'm embracing that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
