Work In Progress...

The last few days have been rough, to say the least.

The kids got sick, then me and daddy got sick.

And then, my back started acting up on me again.

So now I have a wicked cough, and every time I cough I come thisclose to throwing my back out. Add to that the fact that I haven't worked out in at least a week (probably the reason WHY my back is acting up!), and the fact that I'm out of Shakeology and eagerly awaiting my delivery, what do you get? You get one cranky mommy.

Coffee, anyone?

What I have been doing over the last few days is planning a new blog series, "What I Eat and Why I Eat It". Here's the first of my many disclaimers:

I AM NOT A NUTRITIONIST, DIETICIAN, OR PHYSICIAN. THE POSTS ARE FILLED WITH MY OPINIONS, FEEDBACK ON HOW IT WORKED/DIDN'T WORK FOR ME, AND FACTS AND POINTS FROM RESEARCH I'VE DONE, WITH LINKS FOR YOU TO REFERENCE. I, BY NO MEANS, AM SAYING THAT IF YOU FOLLOW MY RECOMMENDATIONS YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT OR ELIMINATE HEALTH ISSUES.

There. Sorry to seem like I am yelling at you, just wanted to make sure that it stood out. To summarize, I have no professional training in the field of nutrition (YET!) nor am I a medical professional. I am going to share with you recommendations and how they worked for me. That is all.

What I plan to do with the series of posts, is answer the most commonly asked questions that I get about meal planning, avoiding grains, Meatless Mondays, Paleo/Primal diet, recipes, and more. To start out, "Meatless Mondays" will be up soon! Happy reading!

Accountability

I took before pictures today. I finally messed around with the camera's self timer and a stack of books to find the best height. I was afraid to take the stack too high though, it would have killed me to see my DSLR fall, and inevitably smash onto my dining room table. Note to self: invest in tripod.

My official "Before the 21 Day Fix" Picture

Taken September 17th, 2014

Starting weight: 190 pounds

I posted this photo on Facebook, throwing care to the wind, and putting it all out there for the world to see. Posting it on here feels safer, a much smaller audience, but none the less, that's my post-three babies belly! I've officially declared war on myself. Time to do something about it. Make some serious changes! Take "after" pictures that will blow everyone's socks off. There's no reason why I can't do it, I have 30 minutes to work out during the day. I like eating a whole foods diet, but I also have a sweet tooth that sometimes can't be stopped. It's going to be finding a middle ground after The 21 Day Fix is over, but I'm going to focus on the NOW, focus on my WHY. I want to run the YMCA Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. I also want to go to a local college for a Health and Wellness degree. I need to be the example, so I need to get it in gear!! I'm not getting any younger, haha! T minus 265 days, 3 hours, and 13 minutes until the "Dirty 30".

But who's counting? 

My big goal is to lose thirty pounds by my 30th birthday. That would put me at 160 pounds, with a healthy BMI and body fat percentage. Completely, 100% doable! I already know that I want to tackle PiYo after The 21 Day Fix, and the possibilities afterwards are huge. I'm so excited to share this journey, and I hope I can inspire at least one other person to take that step and start working on their goals, then it's a win for sure.

Happy Monday!!

Happy Monday to you! 

I started off my Monday by taking my two older (not so) tiny humans to school, and then shopping in Wegmans in the dark. Surprisingly fun, yet a bit frustrating because a lot of produce, like lettuces and greens, dairy, and meat products weren't available. I was able to get a few of the pantry items I needed, but not enough of the others to start the 3 day fix. So today I went back to the regular 21 Day Fix, and let's just say, I'm not disappointed.

For breakfast I had steel cut oats (1 yellow) with cinnamon, and 4 slices of turkey bacon (1 red). Let me just say, steel cut oats take F O R E V E RRRR to cook! I quickly found a few recipes for overnight oats, one of which I will be trying tonight, and I'll get back to you soon on that. 

For lunch, I went with a veggie burger (1 red), topped with feta cheese (1/2 blue) and a cucumber dill yogurt topping. A simple green salad (1 1/2 green) on the side with the 21 Day Fix Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette dressing (1/2 orange). The best part was the simple heat from the dressing finding it's way on to my veggie burger and complimenting the coolness and tang of the Greek yogurt topping. I feel completely satisfied after those two meals! There's no reason your healthy lifestyle can't be a delicious one!!

Try it, and let me know what you think!

Cucumber and Dill Yogurt Topping

1 serving (1/4 red, 1/4 green)

2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp chopped, fresh dill

1 tbsp finely chopped cucumber

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! 

My lunch. 1 1/4 Red, 1 1/2 Green, 1/2 Orange, 1/2 Blue

Thank Goodness for Mondays!

Yes, I'm that girl. This weekend I "fell off the wagon" and indulged a little (okay a lot) in things that aren't so healthy, however oh-so-tasty. Like pumpkin beer...one of my favorites for fall!

I need a fresh start. I need a monday. Everyone always says "Oh, I'll start on Monday", or "I'll start over on Monday". I'm lucky that tomorrow just happens to be a monday then! But say, if today was wednesday, I could make Thursday my "Monday"! Any day can be a day that you can start over. This is real life! Things happen! Why waste all of your hard work because you had a bad meal, bad day, bad couple of days, or heck, a bad week? It's NEVER too late to make the next day your "Monday"!

Tomorrow I am going to attempt the 3 Day Quick Fix nutrition plan that came with the 21 Day Fix. I need/want that jumpstart to tell my body, "hey girl! This is it! We're doing this!" I've heard that the 3 Day Fix is tough, but I know I can do it. My self motivation and self control are in there somewhere, it's time to get down to business and wake them up!

The BEST THING EVER!!

I am seriously typing this post as I eat my snack, aka the BEST thing ever! I was so excited that I couldn't wait to eat mine before telling you to stop. Stop everything you're doing and make this, if you have the ingredients. Greek yogurt, peanut butter, honey, and some of the best locally grown grapes I've ever had.And it's (practically) guilt free. As clean as this recipe is, it's sure to make you feel a little naughty for "indulging".

The BEST THING ever

Plain Greek Yogurt, about a cup (1 Red)
2 tsp of all natural peanut or almond butter (2 teaspoons)
Red seedless grapes, about 3/4 cup (1 purple)
2 tsp organic honey
cinnamon

Mix the greek yogurt and peanut/almond butter well. It mixes best if the nut butter of your choice is at room temperature. (The more you stir, or essentially whip your yogurt and peanut butter mixture, the more of a mousse consistency it will take on. Thus making it  even more decadent. And delicious.) then mix in the honey and cinnamon, and once mixed well, add grapes, and stir again, but don't worry if the grapes break open. It merges the flavors that much more. I wish I had containers left for the day so I could make this again!! There's always tomorrow...

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog, where I will share my journey through fitness as a mother of 3 kids under age 5. There is a section that I've included that will tell you a little more about me, if you care to know! But otherwise, I'd like to jump right in!

Yesterday I started Beachbody's 21 Day Fix. The workout, Total Body Cardio, was tough, and I am for sure feeling it in my legs today! I'm ready to attack the Upper Body Fix, as soon as I find my dvd player remote. Ahh, the joys of little children.

Following the meal plan yesterday was cake. Well, not actual cake. That would have been nice. It was so easy though! When I first saw the containers, I was scared that I would be starving, and cheat constantly to make myself feel full. Not the case at all! I found myself having to add in a snack at the end of the day to make my food goals. Here is what I ate yesterday, on day 1.

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with blueberries, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon. (1 red, 1 purple, 1 orange.)
After Workout Snack: Chocolate Shakeology with almond milk and hazelnut extract (1 Red, 1 Yellow exchange) 
Lunch: Veggie burger on a bed of mixed greens, with hummus, feta, cucumber, and EVOO. (1 Red, 2 Green, 1 Blue, 1 tsp.) 
Snack: 1 Teaspoon almond butter, Strawberries. (1 tsp, 1 purple.)
Dinner: Turkey bacon, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, whole wheat bow tie pasta, EVOO. (1 Red, 2 Green, 1 Yellow, 2 tsp.)
Snack: Oatmeal with berries. (1 yellow, 1 purple)

And that's a delicious, filling day following the 21 Day Fix meal plan! Recipes and photos to come!