Friday Night Eats

I work from home on Fridays and it's the one night I actually have time to make a real meal all week.  I'm going to attempt this tonight!

I love zucchini and I love lasagna so this match up sounds just about perfect to me.  It's awesome that something so healthy (zucchini) has so many tasty uses!  It looks pretty simple to make too, which is a win in my book!

Zucchini Lasagna

Many thanks to the wonderful skinnytaste.com for providing me with another dinner idea.  I'd be lost without her!

Home Improvement

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I posted!  Last week was just one continuous blur as was the weekend.  Nothing too exciting is happening on the fitness front,  but it seems like everything else is on a roll!

Our house is officially sold!  We close on November 14!  I came home from work today and the SOLD sign was up!

 We just have to get a new heater put in our current home, but I don't care. I would have had to get a new one anyone and if it means the buyers still want the house, than here you go!  Have a new heater on us!

It's just crunch time because our new house needs a lot of updating.  I demo'ed my first kitchen on Sunday and I loved it!  It wasn't exactly our plan to demo the kitchen, but once we started, it made sense to keep on going.   Everything had to come out anyway!  We have a professional coming in to replace the ceiling and then I can start shopping for new flooring, cabinets, counter tops, etc!  I can't wait!  I love to shop.

I have done a horrible job of taking pictures of our work, but I'm going to try to get better!  Just the painting we've done upstairs has made a huge difference!

Is that Me?

I don't really "see" my weight loss.  Yes, I know I've lost weight.  It's just not easy for me to see the change in my body.  You spend so long looking at the same image in the mirror and that's all you see.  Body image is such a bitch sometimes.  I wish I could take pride in how far I've come, instead of focusing on how much more I have to lose.

Once or twice before,  I have seen a picture of me and thought to myself  "Is that really me?? I look good!"  Those moments are few and far between.  Unfortunately, I need those moments.  Especially when the scale isn't moving or the tape measure is stuck in the same spot. They give me an appreciation of how far I've come and motivate me to keep moving.  Before, motivation was a picture I didn't like of myself and now it's a picture of myself I do like.

Here's the picture that had me smiling and feeling good today:

It's nothing special.  I don't have any make up on, my hair isn't done, and I'm actually covered in paint and spackle.  My arms look toned and my belly pudge isn't as noticeable though.  I showed this to Tim and said "Look how good I look here! Is that really what I look like?"  The more I see pictures like this, the more I might start to believe- Yes!  That's me!

Side note....I follow Jillian Michaels on FB....I have a slight man crush on her.  She posted a great tip for healthy snacking.  Considering I can eat at least two apples a day and almond butter NONSTOP, it validated my obsession with both.

Fitness Tip:  Snack on red apples, berries, or grapes.  They contain an antioxidant called quercetin.  Quercetin has been shown in studies to boost our oxygen capacity and subsequently our endurance, allowing us to work harder in the gym.  For your afternoon snack, have a red apple with a little almond butter or low fat greek yogurt and berries to amp up your work out.

Party Pictures

Updates

Everything is crazy right now!  On one hand, I absolutely love it; on the other hand, I'm exhausted!

• Phoebe's birthday party is this weekend
• Her actual birthday is next week and I'd like to have a small celebration for her with just our family
• I uncharacteristically decided to make almost all of the food for it
• I also (again uncharacteristically) decided to make decorations for it
• Work is busy- my boss is going on a week long vacation starting tomorrow
• We accepted an offer on our house- YAY!!!!!
• We have to completely update the house we're moving into.  I won't even get into all of the projects we have to do there....too many to list!
• I really should start sorting and packing up our house too!
• Of course, with the sale of our house, comes some major repairs that I'm handling pretty well.  I could freak out, but what's that going to get me?
• I'm leading a new challenge group starting next Monday.  I love working with these women though but I'm doing the program too and it's a tough one (awesome, but tough).
• I set a goal to lose these last 10 lbs (again), get my waist under 35 inches, and lose 50 inches total by the end of the year.  Totally doable!
• I'm also thinking of training for a half marathon for next spring or summer.  I hate running though.

I think that's about everything I have running through my head.  I don't need anymore!

Well, except Colin planted the idea of getting a dog in my head last weekend.......

1200

I'm following a dietary plan for five days that says I can only eat 1200 calories a day.  It can say anything it wants, because I am having such a hard time eating only 1200.

It's a decent meal plan.  There's real food involved and most are things I normally eat.  See my post from a few days ago for the first day's menu.  Most normal people, I would think would be full on the plan laid out.

Not me.

On my third day,  I have discovered that it is pretty much physically impossible for me to stay around this number though.  Normally I eat around 1400-1500 calories a day and I've always struggled with eating- I eat too much.  It was common for me to eat until my stomach hurt.  For the most part, I've learned to listen to my stomach more than my head and stop when I start to feel full.  It's just a struggle that I don't always win.

It's so much worse when there's a voice in my head whispering every few minutes "you're hungry!"

When I feel the urge to eat, I'm chugging water (and heading to the bathroom every hour). I have a lollipop in my mouth right now too.  I keep trying new tricks to stop me from marching down to the kitchen and eating my afternoon snack an hour early!

Pinning is So Much Fun

Follow me on Pinterest!  I just put the app on my (new) android and I can't stay off of it.  My poor kids!

I pin a lot of recipes and just made a Vegan/Clean Eating board I'm working on building out.  I absolutely love the learning and sharing aspect of this site.  I get so many recipes, gift and home decorating ideas from this site!

Five Day Inferno Plan

For the next five days, I'll be working out hard and eating lean to get myself ready for three months of TurboFire!

The Five Day Inferno Plan is designed to cleanse your body and to increase your energy.  It's a fast-track weight loss plan that says I could lose up to 10 lbs and/or 10 inches.   That would be awesome, as long as it's true, and I can stick with the nutrition plan!

Basically, I'll do one or two TurboFire work outs and eat around 1200 calories a day, with a nice balance of protein, carbs , and fat. I'll also still be able to drink my Shakeology (thank goodness!) and eat foods I would normally eat.  I did have to buy hummus today and I'm not sure how that will go.  I love chickpeas, but not in hummus form.  I'm going to stick with is and hoping the whole wheat pita overpowers the hummus.  Yeah, right!

Here is Day 1's menu:

Breakfast:  Turkey Bacon Sandwich

• one slice of low fat turkey bacon
• two slices of whole wheat toast
• one egg scrambled
• 1/2 tomato sliced

I have the egg, toast, and tomato. I wouldn't eat the rest of the bacon so I didn't want to waste the money.

Snack One:  1/2 medium banana, seven walnuts
 (OMG! This isn't a snack!  I will switch out the walnuts for almonds)

Lunch:  Tuna Salad + one cup of green tea

• Three cups mixed greens
• Four oz packed tuna
• Five cherry tomatoes
• One celery, chopped
• Three scallions, diced
• Two tbsp fat-free Ranch dressing

No tomatoes, celery, or scallion...I have tomatoes, but not cherry and I'm not a huge fan to begin with. I hate celery.  HATE it.  I might add yellow squash because I have two huge ones my uncle grew in his garden.

Snack 2: Shakeology!!! tbsp of almond butter, water, and vegan chocolate shakeology.

Dinner: Honey Dijon Chicken with Steamed Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

• One 6 oz of chicken
• 1/3 cup of dijon mustard (that's if I made four servings, so I'll have to divide by four for my single portion)
• 1 tbsp honey
• parsley to taste
• one cup broccoli
• one tbsp parmesan cheese
• Garlic salt to taste (or minced garlic since that's what I have)

My work outs are EZ Fire 55 and Stretch 10.  I am SO excited to start this. I'll take pictures and be sure to recap my results here.

A Good Reminder

I found this gem on my computer today.  It's hard to look at.

Wednesday Weigh In

I haven't lost one ounce.  I'm sitting (pretty?) at 150 lbs.

I'm ok with that because I lost four inches total in my August challenge.  I ate as cleanly as I possibly could and cut out all diet soda. I did very well- was so proud of myself considering how much I love soda!

 I don't have a September challenge for myself because I think Turbo Fire is going to kick my butt and my challenge will be sticking with it!  We took the treadmill out of the garage after a few months.  I'm trying to run a few times a week now too.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm considering training for a half marathon.

I hate running.

But the thought of saying "I ran a half marathon" makes my heart race with self pride.

 I never, ever thought it would be physically possible for me.  I want to do it for the fat girl in high school who used to cry on days we had to run in gym class.

My plan is to meet all of my goals by the end of the year.  I want to lose 10 more lbs and get my waist to under 35 inches.  I'm very close, but not there yet!

I'm on FIRE

I found this segment from my favorite morning show on youtube.  I like how Chalene describes what it is and then shows you the moves- and how fast paced a "fire drill" is.  I am so excited to get started with this program!

What is a Beachbody Coach?

I've been getting this question a lot lately- mostly because people aren't familiar with Beachbody and people think it means I'm a personal trainer.

I'm not a personal trainer. I'm not a doctor.  I'm not a dietitian.

I'm a woman who struggled her entire life with her weight.  I've tried so many things to get healthy- some good, some bad, and none that kept the weight off.

Until now.

I've found a community of people, fitness programs, and products that keep me focused on getting and staying healthy.

Icing on the cake?  I can help others and make some extra cash while doing it!  Want some more icing?  There's no cost to my clients to have me as a coach.  They only pay for the product.

As a coach, I help people get motivated, stay committed, have someone to be accountable to and check in with.  I share my experiences, tips, tricks, ideas, thoughts, and anything else under the sun!  Need recommendations for a work out program?  Looking for healthy recipe ideas?  Want to bitch about how hard it is to stay focused?  I'm here!!  I'm helping people reach their goals, find a new lease on life, and be happier.

I never thought I would start my own business, but here I am!  Working hard to help others and improve my life.  I have big dreams for me and my family and I think Beachbody coaching can get us there!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Gina over at SkinnyTaste.com is simply amazing.  I love her site and follow her on every social space possible, which is kind of redundant, I know.

I found a recipe Pumpkin Pie Dip on Pinterest.... and I traced it back to SkinnyTaste.

·    15 oz can pumpkin
·    3/4 cup brown sugar (Splenda would work too)
·    1 tsp vanilla
·    1/8 tsp cinnamon
·   1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)
·   6 oz fat free Greek yogurt (I used Chiobani)
·   8 oz cool whip free
·   cut up apples to dip (extra points)

Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well. Mix in yogurt. Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.
Makes about 6 cups.

Banana & Almond Butter Pancakes

My cousin and I were talking about what our picky toddlers will eat and she mentioned these pancakes she made for hers.  Peanut butter, a ripe banana, and an egg.  Sounds easy enough!

Later that same day, a fellow mom posted on line about the same pancake!  I switched out peanut butter and used almond butter instead but I will try natural peanut butter next time.  All natural and very good!

Ingredients:
1.5 tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
2 egss (next time I'm going to try one egg, one egg white to cut calories)
1 ripe medium banana

This recipe made six pancakes, each pancake made from two tbsp of batter.  They were moist, delicious, and easy to make!  I didn't add anything to them but DH added syrup.

Excuse the plate in the picture below!

Calories per pancake:  62
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 5g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 3g