Food Planning (sort of) and the Live Fit Challenge

Hello Blog World! It has been a long while since I've posted much of anything, but it's mostly due to the fact that I've been busy and doing a lot of fun things! The summer has been filled with boat trips, camping, vacations and also many hours on the clock at work. I'll share about some of the fun things in another post :)

Even though I've been out of college for over a year now, I still get a sense of motivation when the school year begins. I'm not sure why this occurs or if it will ever go away, but I like it!

Along with the summer fun came a little neglect for the gym and eating habits. I've definitely packed on a couple of pounds (especially after going to Wine Country last weekend!) over the summer months, but I think I kind of always do that.

So with my school year motivation and summer coat (haha) I've decided to take on a plan I read about in a fellow blogger's post. This Plan (follow link) centers around weight training, which is always something I've been interested in and even participated in, but have never picked up on a regular basis. I started Phase 1 on Monday, so I'm only on Day 2 so far, but I really like it!

The Diet is kind of labor intensive for someone like me who doesn't plan ahead or take an entire day to cook meals for the week (who does that?!). I have been cutting up veggies and bagging them for an easy raw snack or a ready to microwave/sautee pouch. I've also made a couple of Jamie's recipes (creator of the plan) including Carrot Cake Protein Bars and Ground Turkey Meatloaf Muffins (recipes/pictures below). Along with the slight planning, I've also been cooking my lunches rather than making an easy turkey sandwich so that I can acquire a plethora of nutrients for the same caloric value (and with a tasty result).

The things I'm not doing:

Eating the Egg White Breakfast - I don't have time in the morning, so I've been eating high protein bars with an equal or lesser value of carbohydrates)

Eating the Egg White After-Dinner Meal - I am not hungry after dinner and if I were, I would want dessert, not Egg Whites!

Following the "no starches after 7pm" rule - I don't cook dinner until 7:30 or 8pm due to my work schedule/gym schedule

Taking Fish Oil/Flax Oil - I despise Fish Oil. It's gross. Even the "No Burps" pills are gross and make me burp fishiness. I've never tried Flax, so I plan to, but I haven't gotten there quite yet.

Following the workout plan exactly - I slightly injured my elbow joint on Monday and my triceps (which made the bending of the elbow motion IMPOSSIBLE) so I didn't do the workouts scheduled for Day 2 (involved curls which I could not do). I did the Leg workout from Day 3 instead. Also, the plan says you do not have to do Cardio, but I actually enjoy it as a part of my routine, so I've been doing 20-60 minutes per day. I may as well if I'm in the gym anyway :)

Other than that, I've been doing really well eating every few hours (5-6 meals a day) and following the plan as instructed.

Here is an example of a typical Dinner:

Blackened Teriyaki Tilapia Filet over Brown Rice & Mixed Grilled Vegetables with a Side Salad tossed in Goddess Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here are some other pictures and links to recipes for the items I mentioned earlier:

Homemade Carrot Cake Protein Bars

(Follow Link above for recipe) I made exactly as instructed but forgot to add water. They are tasty, but a little dry. The Protein Powder I used was Pro5 Vanilla (which is AMAZING)

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

(Follow link above) I made this recipe exactly as instructed, but forgot the egg whites! ahhhh! I realized this at minute 39 of cooking (out of 40), but they still came out fine.

Well, that's all I've got for now. I'm not too far into this plan, so let me know if you'd like to join! I will keep my blog updated each week with tips/experiences, so it would be great to have buddies to share/compare.

Have a wonderful week!

Best Summer Dinner Ever.

It's not hard to impress a girl like me on a Summer night after a long day at work. I typically yearn for a cocktail (if I'm going out to dinner) & some fresh fare after a hot day, but on this particular night, I was satisfied beyond my expectations...

Perhaps it was the company. I met up with two of my dearest, most genuine, wonderful friends at Crush and I ordered a Blueberry Vodka/Soda to warm my palate. I enjoyed some wonderful conversation, ignoring the menu in favor of a catch-up session on life. When I did take a glance at the menu, I was immediately drawn to the "Summer" Salad. Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Corn, Avocado, Burrata Cheese, Micro Greens & Balsamic Vinegar.... Yes please! I have had yet to try a garden fresh tomato this summer that really made me realize that it is "Tomato Season", so I was intrigued. I was first torn between this plate and a run of the mill Spring Mix salad, but opted for the Summer Salad, and boy am I happy I did!

The girls and I split the "Luca" Pizza along with our salad choices, which is equally delicious (how could it not be delicious with Chicken, Pesto & Artichoke Hearts?!), but the salad was the shining star of the meal. The corn and burrata cheese (a softer, more delicate version of mozzarella) really balanced out the acidity of the tomatoes, which were AWESOME. Avocado is naturally amazing with anything, but all of the ingredients worked together beautifully. I was in love... With a salad. It wouldn't be the first time :)

The best thing about all of this is that I can make a salad like this at home, and I'm absolutely planning on doing so. I am loving finding such inspirational Summer activities/foods/clothing all around me and applying these things to my life! Here's to a great work week and making it to the Farmer's Market for some of these ingredients ASAP!

Light & Tasty Summer Garden Salad and Random Funnies

I've been doing a lot of garden salads with dinner lately, and I've really mastered what is probably my favorite salad ever, with ultimate credit going to a dressing mix I've created...

The salad itself is pretty basic:

6-8 Green Leaf Lettuce Leaves (or Romaine)
1/2 Medium Heirloom Tomato
1/8 of a Large Red Onion
1/4 of a Medium Avocado
1 Light String Cheese, cut into small chunks
3 Slices Light Salami, cut into small strips

Basically, I chop all of the veggies & cheese, and I slice the salami and microwave it for 30 seconds until crispy.

Then, the best part happens!

Dressing:

1 1/2 Tablespoons Trader Joe's (or Annie's) Goddess Dressing
1 1/2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Mix equal parts of the two above ingredients together and you get a ton of dressing without all of the calories. The Goddess dressing that I have is 120 calories for 2 Tablespoons. The mixture above is a generous amount to dress the entire salad and serves 2 people.

Sorry I don't have a pretty picture. I always eat the salad too fast to take photo ops. Yum, yum, yum! You know it's good when your non-veggie fan BF says, "Nice salad, Babe!"

Another thing I wanted to do today was share some things that make me smile, even when I'm having a crummy day:

Dogs giving high fives

Babies wearing sunglasses

Going shopping after an 11 Hour Work Day and finding $140 Designer Capris for $50 (pardon the poor imagery)

Going to Group Pilates 3 times, memorizing the moves, and being able to do it at home! BUT, still knowing I will never be able to do this:

And last, but certainly not least, this video (Bryce and I spent about an hour one night watching Baby dancing videos and came across this gem) - 

I like to keep in light with my salads and my mood during the Summer Time :)

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Let's Do Something AMAZING

Well, the things that we choose to do may not always be "amazing" by all definitions, but that's all about perception anyway, right? I'm trying to view things in bolder colors and appreciate all of the time I have at my disposal these days (as you may have noticed from previous posts, or perhaps a lack of posts!). 

So, how do you do "amazing" things, you ask? Well, you take advantage of time and see the beauty in whatever it is that you decide to do.

For me, lately, it's been the little things like taking a 15 minute walk 1-2 times a day on the breaks I'm supposed to take, but usually ignore due to a heavy workload. That may seem like a small thing to do, but it really helps to clear my mind and let my eyes rest after staring at two screens and typing for entirely too long. 

While the walks are nice, I generally was neglecting the fact that MOVING is therapeutic. By moving, I mean working out. After some VERY long work weeks, and frankly putting too much of myself into my job, I was making excuses not to go to the gym or MOVE. Since the walks have started to take place, I've been much more willing to drive my tired bum to the gym to fire up the cylinders for a good hour or two. It feels good to move. It feels "amazing". :)

I've also noticed that the time I spend with my loved ones is not always time well spent. For example, while my boyfriend and I live together, we don't always DO things together. After this last weekend of family fun, kicking his ass in Rummy (twice), taking mountain walks, having nice talks and going boating together on Monday, I really felt closer to him and to us. 

I had the same feeling of closeness with my two best friends after a night of drinking wine and truly catching up last week. It's so important to have time with your friends outside of a public place, fearing judgement, or an accidental bout of emotion, over being open and honest. I love them so much and I was so thankful for having that uncensored time with them to realize again that I know them and they know me on a deeper level than few other people in this whole world. 

I found that it is easy to think that being around someone is enough, but what you do, and whether you making it "Amazing", even if it's just a perception, really makes all the difference.

As far as Meals & Steals, I've gotten some great ones lately, like a Navy Vera Wang Dress from Kohl's for $48, which was well-received when I wore it to a wedding:

I've also found a new love in Trident's Salmon Burgers from Costco (thanks to Don & Karen for the tip!). I cooked them in the oven last night, squeezed some fresh lemon juice onto them once they were cooked, and served them on an Earthgrains Thin Bun (I used a Whole Wheat larger bun for the bf) with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado & pickles. I also served them with some cooked zucchini & low-cal coleslaw (mixed 1 Tablespoon Coleslaw Dressing from Litehouse with 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, poured onto about 2 cups of slaw and incorporated). SO good. Even, "Amazing" perhaps. Also, and most importantly, the boyfriend approved and the meal was very healthy. Each patty has 150 calories, 20 grams of Protein & only 2-3 grams of Carbohydrates. Here's a really bad picture I took with my phone after it was almost gone:

I hope that all of you are finding ways to make life AMAZING. Feel free to talk about how you've been doing things to spice up your life lately. I'd love to hear all about it <3