Running and Good Food!

May 17, 2013 in Exercise, Nutrition

I went on a run this morning and it was the perfect way to start out my Friday!

Heading out for a run

My 14 year old doesn’t go to school until 9:50 on Fridays, so it’s a great time for me to run.  I also like to get my workout done first thing in the morning on Fridays and Saturdays or else it just doesn’t happen.

I ran 4.2 miles and the weather was just perfect.  It was about 60 degrees with a slight breeze.  Perfect.

My sweet puppy dog, Jimmer hates it when I go running.  As soon as I put my shoes and visor on, he starts following me around the house, looking at me with those cute puppy dog eyes and whimpering a little.

Cute Jimmy Dog

BUT when I come home, he is always so happy to see me!  It is so sweet.  My son told me that Jimmy looked out the window and cried the whole time I was gone.  What a sweetie-poo.

When I got home, Jimmer jumped up on me and gave me “kisses” the whole time I was trying to stretch.

Cute Jimmy welcoming me home

Oh my word, I love that dog!  Look at that cute face…

Cute Jimmy face

I’m sorry to all of you “non dog lovers” out there.  I will be quiet now.

Moving on….

I’ve kind of been doing Phase Two of the Jackie Warner diet plan this week.  I haven’t been following it perfectly, but I’ve loved all of her food ideas.  I’ve just been trying to eat less in general and the food from the plan is awesome because it’s low calorie, full of nutrition and yummy!

Here are some of the foods from Phase 2 that I’ve been enjoying….

I’m supposed to have a Protein Shake for breakfast every morning, but I like to have my protein shakes after my workout, so I’ve been having one at different times of the day depending on when I exercise.

I’ve been loving my Orange Creamsicle Protein Shake….

Orangesicle Protein Shake

And my Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Shake!!

Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Shake

After my run this morning, I didn’t feel like having a protein shake, so I decided to have Protein Pudding instead!  Loved it.

Protein Pudding

I’ve loved the morning snack from this plan too.  1/2 C. lowfat cottage cheese with 1/2 an apple, strawberries and blueberries.  Yummy!  It tastes like a treat.  Btw, it’s supposed to just be one apple, but I’ve been enjoying a lot of different kinds of fruit.

Fruit and Cottage Cheese

I’m supposed to be having a salad every day for lunch, but I haven’t been too good at that one.  It’s a shame because salads are the best ever!  I’m going to be better and try to have a salad every day!

I’ve enjoyed the afternoon snack though.  It’s supposed to be 1/4 cup hummus with 10 baby carrots, but I’ve been having all sorts of veggies with it….

Veggies with hummus

Sadly, my hummus is a little bit gross.  I bought some “powdered hummus” in the bulk foods section at Winco a while back.  I liked that it was shelf stable and that the ingredient list was very basic and “real.”  I thought I would give it a shot.

Powdered Hummus

I just mixed a little bit of the powder with water, olive oil and lemon juice….

Mixing hummus

Mixed up hummus

It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t awesome either.  I will not be buying it again though.  I’m going to stick with high quality store brands or homemade versions from now on.

I love hummus with veggies though.  It’s the perfect afternoon snack.

Dinner is supposed to be salmon, veggies and wild rice, but unfortunately I’m not a fish person.  I’ve just been making all sorts of different things for dinner.

I went to dinner one night with some friends (I will post about it soon!) and we just had leftovers another night.  I made a yummy chicken stew in the crock-pot one night too.  I will definitely post the recipe soon.  It’s so yummy, easy and healthy!

Chicken Stew

Well, that’s the latest.  I’m so glad it’s Friday!  Kev and I are going to be going out on a date soon.  Woo hoo!  I hope each and every one of you have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo

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Healthier Banana Bread and Other Fun Stuff

May 14, 2013 in Exercise, Family Life, Recipe

We have reason to rejoice at our house…my 14 year old got a haircut!

Cute haircut boy

We’ve been wanting him to get a haircut for quite some time, but he was pretty attached to the “shaggy, homeless look”, lol.  I’ve been reminding him every day how handsome he looks now.  Yay.

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Well, I’ve still been sorta, kinda following Jackie Warner’s diet plan.  I’ve done really well on the weekdays, but I’ve loosened up (a little too much!) on the weekends.  Dang it.  I also haven’t been eating exactly what’s in her book.  I’ve eaten a lot of it, but I’ve also been tweaking some things too.  I’ll go into more detail and post some pics of the food tomorrow.

I’ve really learned a lot from this diet plan.  I’ve learned that if you stick to foods that are healthy, “real” and nutrient dense, you can eat A LOT of food for very little calories!  I’ve also learned to just eat smaller meals and to eat less in general.

I’ve also been enjoying running a lot lately.  I <3 it!  It’s been especially fun because I’ve been running “just for the fun of it” not because I’m training for a race or anything.

I’ve been running twice a week about 3-5 miles each time.  It’s just perfect for now.  I LOVE being outside, listening to great music and getting the endorphins flowing.  It’s the best!

I went on a run on Friday and it was fun.

Going on a run

I only ran 3 1/2 miles, but loved it.  I waited to run until my big kids got home from school (so they could babysit), so it was a little bit hot (~75 degrees), but I didn’t care.  I’m really loving the heat and sun right now.

When I got home, I found a fun package on my doorstep….

Package from Wantable

It’s a gorgeous box of jewelry from Wantable.com.  I will be trying it out and posting a review about it soon.  So fun!

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On Friday, I saw several very ripe bananas sitting on my counter, so I decided to make some healthy-ish banana bread!  AND I’m happy to say it turned out AWESOME!

It’s definitely a lot healthier than your average banana bread recipe, but I’m still not calling it “healthy.”  It’s more like a “healthy treat” to be eaten on occasion.  I feel a lot better about feeding my kids this banana bread though.

I found the inspiration for this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website, but I tweaked it a lot and made it even healthier!  I still kept a little bit of butter, brown sugar and honey in it because I’ve found if I completely eliminate these things then it just doesn’t taste good.

If you want to eliminate the butter altogether, just add more applesauce.  You could also replace the sugar and honey with alternative sweeteners, but I think I’ve found the “happy medium” of taste and health with this recipe.

Healthier Banana Bread pic

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 medium bananas; smooshed
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Ingredients for Healthier Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray one loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, applesauce and sugar until smooth.
Add the vanilla, baking soda, salt, and bananas, beating until well combined.  The mixture should be fairly smooth, with some remaining banana chunks.

Here are my smooshed bananas. I mixed them with a pastry blender.

Here are my smooshed bananas. I mixed them with a pastry blender.

Beat in the honey and eggs.

Add the flour and stir until smooth.  Mix in the chocolate chips if desired.

Banana Bread Batter

Spoon the batter into the pan, smoothing the top.

Banana Bread Batter in pan

Bake the bread for 50 minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning.
Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the oven and let it cool about 10 minutes.

Healthier Banana Bread

Remove from pan and let it cool completely (or eat it warm!) on a rack.

Banana Bread out of the oven

Enjoy!

Sliced Banana Bread

We loved it topped with a little Smart Balance.

Slice of Banana Bread with Smart Balance

I calculated these nutrition facts as 12 servings, but if you slice the bread thinly, you can (obviously) get a lot more slices out of it!  I also calculated these facts without the chocolate chips.  If you add chocolate chips, it will add an additional 30 calories per slice.

Oh, and I also calculated the nutrition facts for my grandma’s banana bread recipe and it came in at 295 calories and 11.5 g fat per slice!  Yikes!

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A Fun Run and Good Food

May 9, 2013 in Exercise, Family Life, Nutrition

I went on a run outside yesterday for the first time in months!  I loved it so much.  I’ve been running a little bit on the treadmill at the gym, but for some reason I haven’t been running “for reals” in a long time.

Sooo, I ran about 4 1/2 miles with my 3 year old in the jogger.  I really don’t love running with the jogger, but I know my kiddos love it.  The weather was perfect too.

I snapped this picture just as we were leaving, but the sun was so bright I couldn’t even see the picture I was taking!  Here’s proof…

Going on a run with the jogger

Yes, my baby didn’t even make the cut.  When we finished the run, I realized my picture was jacked so I took one more…

Going on a run with baby and jogger

This is not a flattering picture of my son.  I hope he doesn’t mind.  He’s totally sportin’ a double chin, lol.

Later on, I walked over to the the park with my 3 year old, 5 year old and dog!

Taking the kids and dog for a walk

Ya, it was a little bit crazy, but we had a ball.  Btw, I only walk with my sweet doggie in the jogger, I don’t run with him.  Soooo, he is perfectly safe.  He also walked along side the jogger on his leash most of the way too.

Anyway, I loved running.  I’ve really missed it.

It is the best mental therapy ever.

Part of the reason I haven’t been running lately is because I’ve been focusing more on weights and less on cardio.  But, I’ve decided I’m not going to obsess about what kind of exercise I’m doing anymore….I’m just going to focus on exercising period.

I’m going to try to exercise 6 days a week (I pretty much already do this), but I’m just going to do the kind of exercise that “works” for that day.  Sooo, if I want to go to a class at the gym, I will do that.  If I feel like going on a run, I will do that.  If I want to do a weight room workout, I will do that.  And, if I just want to work out from home, I will do that!

And, if my day is too hectic and I just can’t fit exercise in….I just won’t do it.  Pretty simple.  I figure, as long as I’m moving and working out my body most of the time, I’m good.

Moving on….well I officially survived the first 10 days of the Jackie Warner “10 Pounds in 10 Days” diet plan.  Other than Saturday and Sunday I think I did really well.  I didn’t stick to the 950 calories every day, but I’m okay with that because I know 950 calories is extremely low.  I ate around 1100-1200 calories most days.

I only lost 3 pounds though, dang it.  My weekend really messed me up.

BUT, I also decided I’m not going to obsess about weight loss anymore.  I’m just going to commit to living healthily every single day.  There is not going to be anymore “on the wagon” or “off the wagon” days.  I’m just going to focus on eating well and eating less in general.

I am going to save a few splurges for the weekend, however.  I think allowing a few splurges here and there helps to make it a lifestyle, not a diet.

With that being said, I still like following specific diet plans occasionally.  It really helps to inspire and motivate me.  So, when/if I decide to follow a specific diet plan, I’m going to tweak it and work it into my life.  Make sense?

I know it all comes down to eating well and exercising consistently and effectively.  And, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

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So, as far as Jackie Warner’s plan went, I had the same small bowl of oatmeal and an orange for breakfast every day except Sunday.  I actually really enjoyed it.  It tasted good and was pretty filling.  I also had fruit and almonds for my morning snack every day.

I had the yummy wrap for lunch most days.  I did change it up a couple of days though.  One day, I made a salad out of all of the wrap fillings and had some cottage cheese on the side (instead of the avocado) and I dipped some Kashi Pita Crisps (instead of the tortilla) into the cottage cheese.  It was yummy.

Salad, cottage cheese and pita crisps

I also had a taco (in a Flatout or low carb tortilla) instead of the wrap on some of the days.

Inside the taco

I put a little fat-free refried beans, ground turkey taco meat, lite sour cream, a little mozzarella cheese, fresh salsa and romaine lettuce in a low-carb tortilla and it was so good!

Taco on low carb tortilla

Btw, these low-carb tortillas are really good…

Low carb tortillas

They taste yummy and are only 80 calories.  Love it.  I bought them at Wal-mart.

For some reason, I got really tired of having celery and peanut butter for my afternoon snack.  So, I had 1/2 banana with  peanut butter most days.  I had this meal before my workout sometimes and it really hit the spot.

I also changed up the dinner quite a bit.  One day I made quesadillas for the kids and I just threw some chicken and veggies in a bowl with some soy sauce for me and called it dinner!

Chicken and veggies

I made tacos one night and just had leftovers a bunch of nights too.  I just focused on good nutrition and low calories for the most part.

Soooo, I’m supposed to be starting phase 2 of her diet plan today, but I’ve still been eating a lot of the phase 1 stuff today.  I’ve been trying to use up the leftovers.  Sooo, I might try some of her meal plan ideas tomorrow and I of course, will keep you all posted.

Well, that’s it for now!  Happy Thursday. ;-)

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