Stop Cheating!!!

Good god, this addiction to sugar has to stop. 

Confession:

• Blue Icee last night
• 3 donuts this morning

Honestly it's all stress, emotional eating.

However, I was able to manage Day 1 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred yesterday - burn baby burn.  And gong to hit it again today along with a run, part of my Couch to 5K plan.

As Jillian says - Pain is fear leaving the body.

Eating CLEAN Never Tasted So Good!

I started eating clean a few days ago, Saturday to be exact, and it has not been easy and I haven't been perfect but I feel amazing.  Hands down, amazing.

My cheats were 100% sugar - those cravings are way harder than salty.  In fact on Monday night I actually baked myself a pineapple upside down cake at 8pm and promptly ate a slice before bed.  It was delicious.  It was not a good idea - I got an amazing headache afterwards and did not feel the best in the morning.  In fact, every time I cheated and did not eat clean, I felt like crap afterwards - after the cake, after the pie, after the donut, after the popcorn, after the coke.  Ugh.

But every time I did eat clean and stayed clean, my energy levels were amazing and I felt great.  I am so happy I started "cleaning" up my act and am actually excited to keep it going.

OBSESSED : Weekly Pin Roundup

Looking back at this week, it seems I was mostly obsessed with...you guessed it, fitness and my outside space.

I found this amazing blog and have already pinned like 12 workouts and love their take on clean eating.

 

I think this one is pretty do-able right off the bat!

I think this might be my little reward to myself for losing the first few pounds!  Love these Nikes with gold and orange...a bit of bling at the gym never hurt anyone.

 

Thanks to the totally amazing Erin Gates of Elements of Style for this awesome Gym Bag kit...love love love!

And these Pumpkin Coconut Protein Bar courtesy of Nourish and Flourish!

Ready to try these Banana Protein Pancakes from the same Nourish and Flourish...!  Yum.

I think both of these recipes are on my list for the weekend along with starting that Burpee Challenge!  What's on your hit list for the holiday weekend?

 

BODY AFTER BABY : Detox

It has come to my attention that I cannot wear ANY of my pre prego clothes, 14 months after having Maku.

I have tried to start dieting & eating clean more than once over these past months, and have started and stopped exercising more than once as well.  This standstill is killing me.

Husband says that I am just making excuses.  Maybe I am.

The biggest issue I have right now is using food as an emotional, mindless outlet.  I have to kick some seriously bad eating habits.  Mostly it is impulse eating, out of boredom or out of emotion.

Why have I lost so much motivation and determination?  First and foremost, it's an emotional struggle for me in my relationship with food.  For example, whenever I am upset, I turn to food.  I need to change this habit.  Today I went for an hour walk with Maku and felt soooooo AMAZING when I got done.  I ate delicious healthy food and felt amazing.  Immediately following this, I had an inner meltdown and went out for a shake & chips. I don't feel good now.

Right now, my key word is CONTROL.  I need to take control of my life.  I have to. 

 

 

 

OBSESSED : Weekly Pin Round-up

Hello lovelies...here's what I've been crushing on via Pinterest this week! 

With the weather getting absolutely divine around here, we've moved outside for our meals and hanging out.  We have a lovely front porch with plenty of room for furniture and lots of shade, perfect for early morning and evenings.  Our back porch is great but gets a ton of harsh afternoon sun, and really heats up to the point of being uncomfortable.

I was on the hunt for some easy decorating ideas for both, with the goal of getting some shade on the back and some colorful comfort on the front.  What do you think?  How do you spend your time outside?  Porch or patio?

Dear Food Diary....Day 1

Dear Food Diary,

Obviously I have a problem.
I eat like I am still 16 years old.
My body is not 16 anymore, for better  or for worse.

Here we are.  Awkward.

So I feel like I am ready to kick some ass, starting with my diet first. 
When I say "diet" I really mean my eating habits.  They need  some
serious boot camp.

I am going to clean up and then dig into some serious detox. 

Here's the plan!

Clean Eating
Week of March 4
Week of March 11
Week of March 18

From our dear friend Gweneth Paltrow and GOOP, the Clean Program courtesy of Dr. Alejandro Junger, Goop + Clean

1. REMOVE toxins:

• Avoid processed foods.
• Buy organic when possible.
• Buy eco-friendly cleaning products.
• Remove one or more of the foods that cause food allergies, sensitivities and are mucus-forming, such as dairy, bread, pasta, sugar, white rice and red meat.
• Remove the bad bacteria in your gut with plant and herbal antibacterials and use garlic, lemon, olive oil, oregano oil, thyme and cayenne pepper – all powerful natural antimicrobials.

2. RESTORE what is lacking:

• Consume nutrient-rich foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes).
• Use supplements to boost availability of your specific depletions (the B vitamins are commonly depleted).
• Soak up some sun. Fifteen minutes of sun exposure a day will allow you to sustain better levels of vitamin D for bone strength and protection from cancer and depression.

3. REJUVENATE your life:

• Get yearly tests for vitamin D, free T3, iodine reserves, heavy metal toxicity, CRP, thyroglobulin antibodies, magnesium and zinc – all of which are frequently absent from physical exams today.
• Make time for “detox-enhancing” habits such as sauna, massage, hot and cold baths, and skin brushing. All of these improve circulation and increase perspiration, which help fuel your body’s natural cleansing system.
• Most importantly, rest your mind. Meditate, even if for only five minutes a day.

Paleo Possibly?

Here's day one!

Day 1:
Up @ 6:30am
Breakfast @ 7:30am, asiago bagel with coffee
Lunch @ 12pm, salad with sunflower seeds, yellow bell pepper, avocado, grape tomato, Italian dressing and 1/4 cup CheezIts (can't resist!)
Snack @     apple
Dinner @    roast chicken with 

Baby Love: Fun Finger Food

Maku loves finger food these days - no more spoon unless she's super hungry.  Here are some of the yummy recipes I want to make for her this week.

Panko Crusted Cod

Yummy and super easy for baby and family...I love baking the fish on top of a thin slice of lemon, it really gives it some extra flavor.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2009/01/14/panko-crusted-cod/

Baked Salmon with Creamy Lentils

This is a Jaime Oliver recipe we fell in love with a while ago and has become one of our go-to recipes; the salmon is usually wrapped in prosciutto, so we omit for the baby version.  Creamy, filling, and healthy.

Here's the whole recipe!

Ingredients
9 oz lentils
4 x 8 oz salmon, filets, skinned and pin-boned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices of prosciutto
4 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 good handfuls of mixed herbs, (flat-leaf parsley,basil,mint), chopped
3 large handfuls spinach, chopped
7 oz plain yoghurt, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Put the lentils into a pan, cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer until tender.
Season the salmon filets with a little pepper before wrapping them in the prosciutto slices. Leave some of the flesh exposed.
Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for around 10 minutes until the prosciutto is golden.
Feel free to cook the salmon for lesser time if you prefer it to be pinker.
Drain away most of the water from the lentils and season carefully with salt, pepper, the lemon juice and olive oil.
Just before serving, stir the herbs and spinach into the lentils on a high heat, until wilted.

Place on plates with the salmon and finish with a drizzle of lightly seasoned yoghurt.

Chicken Pot Pie

I love anything bit sized so for the baby we do a muffin tin chicken pot pie - I found this recipe on Betty Crocker that calls for Bisquick, but will try to find an alternative for the crust.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-chicken-pot-pies/9a1006cf-5b40-4c87-acd8-9c3436210129

Pumpkin Bread & Pancakes
First off, I love love love Wholesome Homemade Baby Food - delicious, easy to read and make recipes for baby.

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/Fallrecipesforbaby.htm#.UOWuxHeGc4k

There you have it...some yummy fun baby food for our 11 month old and for our family!

Goals are Dreams with Deadlines!

Here's to 2013 - lots of goals and dreams for this year, and the biggest one is staying more mindful and dedicated to those dreams and goals.

1.  Get Fit.  Insanity.  Kayaking.  Spinning.  Crossfit.  Try everything, stick to it, and kick ass.

2.  Keep decorating our house and making it our home.

3.  Work every day to be the best mother, wife, sister, daughter, and friend that I can be.

4.  Get outside.  Sign up for kayaking class in the spring, and take family hikes and walks as much as we can.

5.  Entertain more at home, especially now that we'll have a new kitchen (!) and enjoy being the hostess that I love to be!

6.  Invest in classics but take some risks. No more crap just because it’s on sale and I want something new.