Menu Plan- August 11th- 17th



Monday:  Greek Chicken and Pesto Spaghetti Salad (Find it: http://realhealthyrecipes.com/2011/11/09/pesto-spaghetti-squash-salad/)
Tuesday:  Pork chops and sweet potato hash with kale
Wednesday: Pool side food 
Thursday:  Spaghetti and meatballs (eggplant for Mama)
Friday: Leftovers 
Saturday: Chicken salad with avocado and grapes.
Sunday: Grilled chicken, corn on the cobs, fried green tomatoes

First Friday Faves

If you are not in the summer spirit, I ask you, why not?

With only one month left of summer (at least before school starts) here are a few things to help you get in the summer spirit fast.  

(and yes I realize its mostly food)


1. Trader Joe's All Beef Hot Dogs


Nothing says summer like eating a hot dog.  These hot dogs have all the good stuff and none of the bad stuff. 

2. Pedicures

Summer season means flip flops season and that means time for a pedicure.  Enjoy a pedicure and give a little back to raise funds for organ donation. http://www.taylorsgift.org/


3.  Watermelon

While strawberries are my favorite fruit to me watermelon is the perfect thing to eat when its just too hot to eat anything else.  Plus it makes the best slushies.  

(Stay tuned for a watermelon recipe or two.) 

4.  Beach Reads

Grab a good book that's a quick read and doesn't make you think too much, just enough.  A romance isn't a bad place to start and Emily Giffin has a new book and  never disappoints. 


5.  Fireworks


Did you miss the 4th of July?  Don't worry.  Fireworks happen all summer long.  Grab the schedule of your local baseball team and I'll bet you'll find at least one more night to got watch fireworks.



Motivational Monday: Be Grateful!

I (we) spend so much time trying to be better.  Be stronger, healthier, more organized, richer.  The list goes on and on.  All in the name of reaching goals that will make us happier or better.  What if we stopped all that.  Not the eating healthy or exercising or working hard?  Just stopped doing all these things so that we could reach the goal of happiness.  Instead what if we just tried to be grateful.  That's it.  Each night with my kiddos we pray and say what we are thankful for.  Instead of waiting for night I am going to start each morning this week thinking about what I am grateful for.  A challenge you to do the same thing.  Let's bring gratitude back into our lives.  A little gratefulness could make the journey so much happier.


Menu Plan: July 28th- August 4th

Monday:  Pork chops, pasta salad (leftover) and potato salad (leftovers) [for the family, 3-day Refresh for the mama]
Tuesday:  Taco Tuesday!  [for the family, 3-day Refresh for the mama]
Wednesday: Leftovers [for the family, 3-day Refresh for the mama]
Thursday:  BBQ Chicken and squash salad
Friday: Turkey Burgers/Beef Burgers and sweet potato fries
Saturday: Family visit
Sunday: BBQ Ribs, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and tomatoes

Sometimes You Get What You Deserve

Well, not sometimes. Most of the time. 

Let me preface this post by saying that I have the most enormous, gigantic, humongous Tupperware of the most delicious, sweet, beautiful watermelon sitting in my fridge. 

But I wasn't craving watermelon. I was craving chocolate. Ever since I finished dinner tonight. So I finally broke down and went on a chocolate hunt. First I found a bag full of lollipops and Now and Laters (which I love)...a favor from a 1 year birthday party we went to this spring. (Who gives out large quantities of candy, especially hard candy at a 1 year old's party anyway?) I had a Now and Later but it didn't hit the spot. 

So I kept digging. And buried in a little tin I found some peanut butter cups underneath some gum. Jackpot!

Yeah, not so much. Some of you already know where this is going. After I stuffed it into my mouth I noticed the strong minty flavor. From the gum. Peanut butter and mint...gross. Then I started doing some thinking. The peanut butter cups were in Halloween wrappings. But I know they weren't from this last Halloween (9 months ago). After some calculation I realized by the container they were in I think they were about 3 years old. And the gum had probably been sitting on them the whole time. Yuck!

So I pulled the amazing watermelon out of the fridge. And it was delicious. 

A few realizations....
This is why I don't keep a lot of sweets around the house. I have a sweet tooth and I will eat them if they are there. 

This is why I do keep healthy treats around. Because I do sometimes want a little something. 

Next time, just mix up that chocolate protein or Shakeology and kill the chocolate craving with something healthy and satisfying. 

In the end it all turned out well and the rest of those peanut butter cups went into the trash instead of into my belly. And I live on to attempt to be healthy another day. 

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Last week I went on a whirlwind trip to San Francisco for work.  It was a great meeting with great people but what I really couldn't stop thinking about were the bacon wrapped dates we had at a dinner.  They had some cheese in them but I figured all I really needed was some bacon and some dates.  I was right.  Fortunately I already dried dates in the house for baking purposes so I really needed was bacon.  There are so many ways to make this recipe your own and I encourage you to try them out and do just that.  Great potential additions would be blue cheese, pecans, you name it, it might taste good.  For now though, I stand by the fact that all you really need are bacon and dates.  



 (By the way, this is a horrible picture but the priority was eating them not viewing them.)


Yield: Serves 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes 
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

10 pieces of bacon (cut in half)
20 dried dates

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Soak dried dates in water for 10 minutes over stove stop and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes. 
  3. Wrap each piece of bacon tightly around one date and secure with a tooth pick.
  4. Arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  
  5. Bake for 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

Shakeology Recipe of the Week--Peachy Almond Yum!

Necessity is the mother of all invention. This week's shake was born from the need to use up some ingredients that were going bad (namely peaches) and that I hadn't been grocery shopping in far too long and didn't have ingredients for my go-to recipe's around.

And what came out of this was amazing. It tastes very familiar...like many different pastries I've enjoyed over the years but I can't quite pin it down to just one. Think peach cobbler meets an almond sandies cookie. I think it is delicious so I had to share.



- 1 peach
- a little ice
- a lot of almond butter (3-4 tbsp?)
-1 banana
- a couple drops of almond extract
- Strawberry Shakeology 
- fill with vanilla almond milk (I always use unsweetened)

Blend and enjoy!!!

Motivational Monday: It's your birthday!

I was looking for a quote about birthdays.  Most of them have something to do with "wake up like its your birthday" or "Start each day likes its your birthday."  Well, today is my birthday and its a work day.  That being said I get their point.  Most people think that, each year we get to start over twice.  On New Year's Day and on our birthday.  Frankly though, I view every day as a chance to start over.  Don't wait for your birthday or the first of the month or a Monday.  Heck, don't wait until tomorrow.  Each moment is precious and each moment is a great chance to start becoming who you want to be, who you really are.


Clean house! Clean mind!

I normally have two theories about cleaning a house.  They can be found below.  




An organized house I need to function, but a clean house...well I don't mind not having a clean house.  I'd rather snuggle, play, run, swim, do pretty much anything with my kiddos than clean the house.  Although my big guy is a huge fan of cleaning so I am probably wasting a helper.  

Normally my cleaning has more to do with making a plan for cleaning and organizing cleaning.  In fact, this is usually how I clean our house.



This weekend, however, I am reclaiming the normalcy of our lives.  No more vacation or business trips for the foreseeable future.  Time for family bbqs (as in just the four of us eating hot dogs), perhaps a day trip to the beach here and there, and lots of time at the pool. 

 It also means I have no more excuses for having a dirty house.  In fact, I want a clean house to enjoy for the rest of the summer.  (Read: I want a clean us to get dirty the rest of the summer.)  So this is my plan, because we all know I must have a plan, and preferably quite a few check lists.  This weekend I am opening the windows and going after the obvious dirt.  As in when you walk up to our front door and you see precious fingerprints all over the door and then we walk in and see dust balls in the corner.  That’s the kind of obvious dirt I’m going after.  I’m doing a quick and dirty cleaning of the house so to speak.  Then starting this week I’m going to do a 31 day cleaning challenge where you don’t clean more than 15 minutes each day.  I plan/hope to devote 30 minutes each day to cleaning…not sure when yet but it’s going to happen.  15 minutes will be stuff I already do, I hope.  Dishes in the dishwasher, clean sink, making the bed, with a few additions to include a wipe down of the bathroom .  The other 15 minutes will be spent doing something big, like wiping down all the baseboards in the house.  Apparently you really can clean a house in one month by giving just 15 minutes a day and that’s my plan.  I’ll be following a few cleaning geniuses, specifically www.cleanmama.net and www.theflylady.com.  Have you ever tried to just set a timer for 15 minutes to get something done?  It’s amazing how much you can actually get done in 15 minutes if you know you only have 15 minutes.   



But all of that is what I’m doing next week.  What I’m doing this weekend is just clean the house.  The big things, floors, windows, furniture.  Nothing too indepth, just leaving the rooms cleaner than when I started.  I am also approaching this a little differently than I’ve done in the past.  I have always had this “dust the whole house approach.”  This time around, in order to feel a little more accomplished, a little faster, and hopefully take advantage of distracted kiddos in one room.  (Assuming I get distracted kiddos who are playing.)  I’m going to start with the living room (I hope) and clean it.  Get a nice clean living room before moving on to the next room.  This is also my chance to try out my mobile cleaning supplies.  I got myself a caddy a few months ago and I have weaned my cleaning supplies down to two types of cleaning supplies.  Honest Company and homemade.  Once I give them both a go I’ll let you know how the work.  I’ll also let you know how my whole weekend of clean approach works.  The goal is normalcy and perhaps a little peacefulness.  I won't make it to the beach this weekend but with a clean-ish house by Sunday night and perhaps a "clean" margarita in hand I can feel as relaxed as after a day at the beach.

  

(As I was re-reading this post I realized perhaps I can start using my timer tomorrow.  Can I clean each room in 15 minutes or less?  The answer is YES!  So that’s my new goal.  Living room in 15 minutes.  I can do it.)
Wish me luck!

Feeling Refreshed?

I've done 2 or 3 day eating cleanses before and most of them (no, all of them...this whole post will be brutally honest) were lacking. As in I thought I was going to die by half way through day 2. So when Beachbody announced the 3-Day Refresh, with 3 shakes, a fiber drink, and REAL food each day I was really excited. So was it everything I wished and hoped it could be?

Maybe a better question is will I do it again. And the answer is a qualified "yes."  More on that later. 

Reaching goals is always easier with an end in mind, so let's start with the results...

Weight: There is a 5-ish pound range that I like to be in and I started at the high side of that.  But I wasn't looking to lose a lot of weight.  In the end I lost 3.5 pounds (in 3 days) and I am VERY happy with that.  I did not want to lose much more.

Inches: I really wanted to reduce some of my measurements.  Certain areas haven't gone back to the same size they were before my daughter was born, even though I'm much healthier, weigh a LOT less, and am MUCH happier with my body and how I look.  At the same time, I really want to reduce my waist and hip measurements if at all possible.  For a week or so before the cleanse I had been feeling extremely bloated and heavy.  I think it was mainly the hot, humid weather we had been having but I'll fully admit that I had not been as clean with my eating as I usually am for a few weeks.  I lost 4" overall, measuring chest, waist, hips, butt, and theighs.  An entire inch came off my waist!


Why did I want to do a cleanse, especially when I wasn't looking to lose a lot of weight?  I do eat a relatively clean diet and I am aware of what I eat (even when I have an extra cheat or two.....I don't tend to eat mindlessly anymore).  But I do eat a fair amount of dairy, I do eat all kinds of meats....at least a serving a day (poultry, beef, pork, lamb, bison), and I eat a decent amount of carbs (mostly healthy, whole-food, with the occasional cheat thrown in).  I have mostly cut refined sugar out of my diet, but some is there for sure.  So I really wanted to cleanse all of this out of my system.

I'm not going to go into a ton of detail about the cleanse, but a short review of the product itself, before we get to my experience doing it.  The guide is extremely well-laid out and easy to use.  It made me not quite so intimidated before starting because each day is laid out to a T, including spots for you to fill out each food option for each meal/snack for each day.  I filled out the booklet and it was fast and simple to put together my grocery shopping list.  Each day starts with a Shakeology shake (I chose vegan because I wanted to completely eliminate dairy) and a serving of fruit.  This is followed by morning tea (all teas are optional) and then the fiber drink.  I had heard HORRIBLE things about the fiber drink, and these had clearly shaped my expectations because I didn't think it was bad at all.  It has a faint lemony flavor and is thicker like other fiber drinks.  I certainly wouldn't sip on it, but I had no trouble getting the glass down.  Lunch consists of the Vanilla Fresh protein drink, a fruit, a vegetable, and a healthy fat.  Then a snack of a veggie and healthy fat and afternoon tea.  Dinner is another protein shake and a dish off the dinner menu....all vegetables/salads prepared with a variety of seasonings and toppings....some raw, some cooked.  There is a pretty good selection and I actually had trouble deciding which three to make. And all that I made are delicious!  I actually made the veggie stir fry as a side dish for my dinner tonight because it was so tasty.  One more tea is optional before bed.

Day 1: My morning meals were a little thrown off because my daughter woke up late and I was having lunch with my mom.  I wanted to get to the lunch meal in the meal plan so I could eat something with her, so I ended up cramming my breakfast, fiber drink and lunch into the first 3 hours of my day (you are supposed to wait at least an hour between each time you eat or drink tea).  I skipped my morning tea, but I was VERY proud of myself for also resisting my usual morning coffee.  I got my workout in (PiYo Sweat) and felt great doing it and after.  Condensing the morning food ended up being a bad idea because I was ready for my snack around 3:30 and I was a starving wreck by the time I got to dinner.  I ended up adding extra veggies to the stir fry (although I kept the quantity of olive oil the same) and felt quite full.  Lesson learned....spread out the meals and snacks as far as you possibly can take them!

Day 2:  I woke up feeling pretty good and weighing a pound less.  No complaints there!  I did a PiYo workout again after my Shakeology and had plenty of energy and strength.  Today I spread my meals out as far as I could and although I ended up pretty hungry before them, it was a much more balanced approach to the day.  On day 1 I chose to blend my fruit at lunch into my shake, but today I decided to eat it separately and was so glad I did.  I felt like I had so much food to eat!  I also added a little extra spinach to my spinach salad at dinner, but kept all other amounts the same.  As I got into the evening I was getting hungrier and hungrier.  Even after my salad, which I felt like it took forever to eat it was so much food, I felt full for about an hour and then got hungry.  I wanted a bagel with cream cheese more than anything in the entire world.  Uh oh!

Day 3:  When I woke up, I felt awful.  I hit my snooze button 3 or 4 times (I never let myself hit it more than once).  I finally dragged myself out of bed and felt like I had been hit with a sledge hammer.  Even the scale reading another 1.2 pounds less didn't cheer me up.  But you know what did?  My Shakeology.  After I drank it I felt like a million bucks.  I banged out my PiYo workout, got myself to work.....

.... and I crashed.  Big time.  I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it through the day.  I was lightheaded, spacey, I couldn't focus.  I didn't want to give in since I only had a few more hours to go, but I knew my body needed food.  So I made a deal with myself.  I wouldn't eat the pretzels on my desk, or the goldfish I had brought for my daughter's snack.  I wouldn't take a bite of her string cheese (by the way, resisting the temptation to pop a bit of her leftover food into my mouth was the hardest part of this whole cleanse, and it made me realize that is the one area that I do tend to eat a bite here or there without thinking).  I was going to stick to my plan of no dairy, no meat, and no carbs.  I started slowly eating the cherries I had brought for lunch and immediately I felt better.  I was still a little spaced out but I knew I would make it through.  I know part of the idea of a cleanse is to give your digestive system a rest, and I had for two days, but I couldn't do it today.  As long as I kept eating a little here and a little there I was fine.  My normal eating habit is to eat 6 smaller meals/snacks each day so my body is used to being constantly fed a steady stream of fuel.  In the end I only ended up eating one more serving of a healthy fat (hummus) and an extra serving of veggies (carrots). I added extra carrots (and garlic) to my Moroccan carrot salad for dinner, which was delicious!  And to be perfectly honest, from lunch on I felt better and better as the day progressed.


So after my morning on Day 3, why would I want to do this again?  I do think it's important to give my body time to flush out all the stuff, especially from the dairy and meat I eat.  Even with buying all-natural, hormone free, organic, I know there are downsides to eating these too much or too often.  And not withstanding the morning of day 3, I felt good the whole time (even if I had spells of being hungry), and it's cliched to say but I feel cleaner and lighter afterwards.....refreshed!

I also have noticed a major shift/refocus in what I want to eat ..... what I am craving now.  Despite all my cravings for bagels and ice cream and other bad things during the cleanse, when I woke up this morning all I wanted was my normal Shakeology (non-vegan with peanut butter, almond milk, and a WHOLE banana rather than only a half).  When I looked in the fridge to pack lunch, all I really wanted was a salad with leftover grilled chicken, tomato, and basil.  My portion sizes are also much smaller.  I do think this will be a good addition to my fitness routine every month, or every quarter..... with some modifications.

I will do some things differently.  I think I could stick to the cleanse exactly if I eliminated my workouts while I was doing it.  But I rely on my workouts as a stress reliever and I also have a harder time mentally getting back into them when I stop for a few days.  I have a few ideas of what to try in the future.....either not limit the amount of veggies at lunch, snack, and/or dinner; or add one more snack of veggies and healthy fat into the afternoon; or stick to the hour or more meal spacing for the first day and a half and then let myself graze on fruit and veggies throughout the day (limiting the quantity, just not the meal spacing to help keep my blood sugar more level).

I am my no means a rail, but I have worked on reducing my body fat percentage quite substantially over the last year and I think I just don't have the reserves to sustain a low calorie diet, even for three days, especially while exercising even moderately.  I did the Refresh with a group of other ladies ... in general, those who are still in the weight-loss portion of their fitness journey felt fine the entire way through (not to say they didn't get hungry or have cravings), and those who are in the maintenance phase struggled.  Most of those looking for weight loss lost at least 5 pounds, if not more, while those trying to maintain lost 0.5-3.5 pounds.  And I will say that I was so thankful to have this group for support.  When I was struggling it helped to know I wasn't alone and wasn't the only one struggling.  Rather than caving and eating pretzels or goldfish, we all were able to encourage each other to stick with it, even if we needed to eat a little larger serving (or an extra serving) from what the meal plan said.  Some didn't make it all the way through, and some did.  But we all gave it our best effort and pushed ourselves past our comfort zone.


It is imperative when doing this or any cleanse or restrictive diet, that you listen to your body.  It will tell you when it needs help....make sure you give it what it needs.  Certainly push yourself...you are capable of much more than you think.  The mind puts limitations on us that aren't really there, and you will learn so much if you push past these barriers.  That is why I enjoy doing cleanses, challenges, and workouts in general....they remind me that I am in control of what I eat and what I do to shape my body, and you need to be uncomfortable to grow and change.  But the goal of a cleanse is to come out the other side MORE healthy, not doing damage to your body and not starving your body of the nutrients it needs to function.  Rather than starvation, set boundaries and expectations for yourself like I did so you can give you body what it needs, without giving up and going overboard.  And only you know what feels right so most importantly, don't compare yourself with others.  Just strive to be better than you were yesterday!



Motivational Monday: Make Yourself a Priority

Sometimes I think its best to view life like an airplane ride.  Get your oxygen on first.  If you aren't your best self how can you really help others achieve their best.  Whether its your children, your partner, your coworker, your friends or your family.  You are only good to them if you are taking care of yourself.  If you know what to do eating healthy doesn't have to take any longer than eating unhealthy.  A 30 minute work out is not even 2% of your day.  Make your happiness a priority today. 



Shakeology Recipe of the Week

I am inundated right now with homegrown blueberries from my mother-in-law's garden. Not a bad problem to have, especially in my daughter's book (and I am loving saving all that money....those little buggers are expensive, especially when she downs half a pound in a sitting!!!). 

So they don't go bad, we've been adding blueberries to everything this week in addition to freezing them...blueberry cornbread, blueberry mixed drinks, blueberry cobbler (not clean but certainly delicious), blueberry banana bread, blueberries on salads. And of course blueberries in my Shakeology! I often use frozen blueberries in my shakes but nothing quite compares to the flavor and juiciness of fresh berries. So my recipe this week is...

Chocolate Shakeology with Fresh Blueberries, Peanut Butter, and Almond Milk


I add some ice too and often a banana to jazz it up even more. I also like it with Strawberry Shakeology, but the chocolate tastes even more indulgent!  In my experience, proportions don't really matter with this recipe...just throw it all in the blender and adjust the thickness to your liking!

Enjoy!

Motivational Monday: Halfway there!

Today is the last day of the first half of 2014.  Its time to look back on the goals you set for yourself for the year.  The resolutions you made.  Have you started to try to reach them?  If not, what do you have to do to reach your goals?  Sit down and write out your resolutions and make a plan so that those resolutions turn into achievable goals.

(Stay tuned until tomorrow for more about how I did with my June goals, my July goals, and how I'm doing for 2014.)



Ask yourself if what you're doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow. #quote

4th of July desserts with a Healthy Twist

One of my favorite things about holidays is that I have a reason to make desserts.  I love desserts but in our house if we keep desserts around we eat them.  So we just don't keep them around. 

Here are a few healthyish and maybe one or two not so healthy desserts for the upcoming holiday.  This year we're lucky enough to have two reasons for Red, White and Blue desserts: The 4th of July and the World Cup.  

Enjoy!


Red, White and Blue Patriotic Treats for July 4th #PaleoEatsandTreats

Recipe at www.againstallgrain.com


fruit tart2

Recipe at www.paleomg.com


Red, White and Blue Berries and Cream

Recipe at www.cookeatpaleo.com


Watermelon Cake




Red White and Blue Bark made with white chocolate and dried fruit! GENIUS! Happy #4thofJuly!! - The Cookie Rookie

Receipt at www.thecookierookie.com


red white blue cheesecake stuffed strawberries | snappygourmet.com

Recipe at www.snappygourmet.com

Red, White and Blue Fruit Kabobs


Weekly Menu- Monday June 23rd through July 2nd

I've been a little behind on menu plans.  Mainly because I have not had one.  I have been focused on scavenging through my house to clear it out.  Now the freezer is full and it is time to plan.  I'll be planning until mid-week next week.  Trying to make this one week planning a little longer.  Keep in mind I factor in leftovers, if there will be any.  I always hope to have a least a leftover or two.  


Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:  Birthday party
Sunday:
Monday: 
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Empty the fridge

Notice a few spaces?  This is how far I got before I realized I have no idea what to eat to for dinner tonight...I started this last night.  Eek.  Pool season is here so now I have to factor in how we are going to eat if we go to the pool on days I can get off work a little early.  Tonight is a pool night and seriously, I have no idea what we're going to eat.  

Monday: Turkey Burgers with sweet potato tots and grilled asparagus
Tuesday:  Tuna Noodle Casserole for the family (I'll be having leftovers)
Thursday:  Leftovers
Friday:  Bratwurts and French Fries
Saturday:  Birthday party
Sunday:  Family meal (still up in the air)
Monday:  Spaghetti and Uncle Kip's meat balls
Tuesday:  Grilled chicken breasts and leftover pasta/salad
Wednesday: Empty the fridge

Once things settle down a bit I'll get a bit more focused and we'll have menu plans for awhile.