Buy Bulk Staples at Whole Foods

http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/01/stocking-a-healthy-pantry-with-whole-foods/

How I Became a Runner..*

 

After I run I feel absolutely amazing…

Carrots and Cake — http://carrotsncake.com/2012/01/how-i-started-running.html

Cigarettes, Alcohol and Twinkies*

Yes – twinkies.. Should highly processed saturated fat laden foods be looked upon like cigarettes and alcohol?

In terms of how they effect your body – maybe yes.

Kelley Brownell suggests this in a 1994 – Ed/Op column – Get Slim with Higher Taxes.

She states that – Environment is the real cause of obesity.

She suggest that the unhealthy food is taxed — and that the revenue would go to public work out facilities, bike paths and running tracks.

She also criticizes the advertising of soda, candy and sugar cereals aimed at children – using cartoons and gimmicks.

Check out the article here: Get Slim with Higher Taxes  

Information Overload – Part 2

My favorite healthy lifestyle sources:

Magazines:

Clean Eating – the best source for clean recipes

Eating Well – the best source for healthy real food recipes

Prevention – although catered to a 40-plus crowd-this little book is filled with health tips and amazing healthy and low calorie recipes

Fitness – I love their quick and easy healthy recipes

Everyday Food – Martha Stewart – although not all of the recipes are healthy – I am always inspired when I pick up this easy to follow recipe guide!

Whole Living – Martha Stewart – Reading this magazine is like attending a yoga class

Books:

Food Rules – Michael Pollan – If you could only read one book for the rest of your life – it should be this one. Straight forward and simple – you will live longer if you read this book

Fit for Life – This was one of the first diet/health book that I ever read – it changed the way I thought about food.

.

Naturally Thin – Bethanny Frankel – I am in the middle of this one

Skinny Bitch – Informative guide to a vegan lifestyle – eye opening

Cookbooks: (different than regular books)

Ellie Krueger

Poor Girl Gourmet

Mollie Katzen

Websites:

Vegetarian Times

Eating Well

Clean Eating

Martha Stewart

Dr. Oz

Spark People

Healthy LIving Blogs:

Carrots and Cake

Iowa Girl Eats

Kath Eats Real Food

Peas and Thank You

100 Days of Real Food

 

10% Solution

Lose 10% of my body weight.

Current weight = 138

10% – 13.8

Goal weight = 125

I can do this.

Not to focus so much on numbers…because what really matters is how you feel — but I read an article from Spark People today about the 10% Solution.

It talked about how people who set out to lose weight often have unrealistic goals — and set themselves up for failure — sound familiar?

My most successful periods of weight loss have been when I have set small obtainable goals — 5 pounds here — 5 pounds there.

Unfortunately, lately I have been focusing on how much weight I have gained — but what I should be focusing is on how much weight I have lost.

My heaviest weight = 168 pounds

Current weight = 138 pounds

I have maintained a 30 pound weight loss over the past four years.

That is pretty impressive.

My weight loss goal – lose 10% of my current weight.

Here I go…

Information Overload

Agghh! There are so many things that I want to blog about…

Let’s start with the basics:

Feul

B: blueberry banana baked oatmeal

L: lean cuisine (not proud – but was over BF’s watching Celtics and Bruins games last night) 1/2 larabar ( I cut my larabars in half to save calories and money) mini babybel cheese round

I found myself quite hungary by the end of the day – might have been that I did not have enough protein in my breakfast OR my overly processed lunch choice

Snack last period: moz. cheese stick

Snack in car: organic apple

Dinner: veggie burger on sandwich thin, roasted cauliflower

Snack: broccoli cauliflower soup

Workout:

5:30pm – Spin Class = Sweaty Mess

Extra stretching and some ab work when I got home

News:

1. East Side Yoga

I stopped by a new yoga studio on my way home from the gym!First class is free! – Can’t wait to check it out.

2. Boston Sports Weekend!!

Friday night = Celtics Game

Saturday afternoon = Frozen Fenway – UVM vs. UMASS

3. Inspiring Cooking Light Slideshows (although I prefer Everyday Food or Real Simple Recipes

24 Recipes for Winter Produce

250 Calorie – Main Dishes

4. My Immersion Blender = New Kitchen Gadget!!

The inspiration behind tonight’s recipe.

Recipe: Brocoflower Soup

Adapted from – Oliver Oz’s Broc-Cauli Soup

 

 Ingredients

1 cup cauliflower, steamed (about half of head)

1 cup broccoli, steamed (about two small bunches)

1 1/2 cup of coconut milk

1 1/2 cup of water

1/2 head of garlic

1/2 onion

1 oz grated fresh parmesan

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Directions

Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the milk, water, broccoli and cauliflower into a pot and stir. Add in the cheddar, garlic, onion, salt and pepper (to taste). Boil the soup for 15 minutes.

Blend with an immersion blender OR Transfer the mixture to a blender and purée. Serve and enjoy!

My Christmas gift from my sister = obsessed…*

To Blog or Not to Blog…*

To blog or not to blog – that is the question.

Ok, folks so it has been a rough couple of days.

Between losing my cell phone involving mulitple trips to City Hall to retreive it and my sister visiting from Indiana with her three daughters..I have fallen off both the health and blog track 😦

How quickly things unravel…

Today I returned to school ( I am a teacher).

After school – I could not muster up the energy to make it to the gym.( I was also dreading all of the resolutionists that I would now have to be battling with for machines and spaces in spin class…)

I promised myself if I didn’t go to the gym – then I would have to organize my closet — and plan my outfits for the rest of the week – DONE!

Exercise for the Rest of the Week:

Wednesday – Run at gym directly after school

6:30 – Hot Power Flow at East Side Yoga

This will be my first ever hot yoga class !

Can’t wait to tell you what I think!

Thursday – 5:30 – Spin

Friday – 4:30 – Arms and Abs – then Stair Stepper

Fuel for the Day:

Breakfast – english muffin – almond butter – apple

Lunch – 1 grapefruit – 1/2 cup cottage cheese – 1/2 cup plain yogurt – 1/2 lara bar

1 dark chocolate truffle (found on the table of faculty room – not very good)

Snack – in car – organic apple – cheddar cheese stick

Snack – at home – 1 cup of pistachios

Dinner – Buffalo Chick’n Patty Sandwich – Chick’n patty with buffalo sauce – Laughing Cow blue cheese wedge – toaster thin

1 mini Mr. Goodbar

Because I did not make it to the gym today — I had a little extra energy and time so I whipped up some Baked Blueberry Banana Oatmeal!

Adapted from one of my favorite blogs —

Iowa Girl Eats – Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal 

Recipe – Baked Blueberry Banana Oatmeal 

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup each of water & unsweetened coconut milk

vanilla

1 banana

blueberries

chopped pecans

Mix oats, water, almond milk and vanilla. Slice in banana, mash until chunky and gently fold in some blueberries. Bake @ 375 for 10 minutes, add sliced almonds on top, and bake for 10-15 more minutes. Ready!

I doubled the recipe so that I could eat it for the next two days!!

I have been researching juicing machines…any suggestions?

Day 2*

Inspiration for Today:

Today has been an interesting day – full of highs and lows…

Low: getting a parking ticket (because my resident sticker had expired), having to go to City Hall to pay the ticket and get a new parking permit, losing my cell phone in City Hall

Highs: going to my favorite spin class, having a very positive experience at the -City of Boston – parking permit office (the women is reading the same book as me – Little Bee..), helping an old man find the subway (he walked with me for a few blocks), stopping by my friend Amy’s apartment, finding out that City Hall had called my parents house and have found my phone!, going to the airport with my mom — and seeing my nieces!! (and my sister and her husband)

Workout:

9:30 – Total Body Sculpt

10:30 – Spin with Alexis

= Total Sweaty Mess

 

Food:

Breakfast:
whole wheat english muffin
almond butter
apple

Lunch: (not a good one – at Amy’s apartment – stressed out about losing phone)

Diet Ginger Ale

Christmas Tree Cookie

mini-chocolate cupcake

3 stale swedish fish

Dinner:

Left over roasted veggies  – yum!

Veggie Burger

Snack:

Homemade Peppermint Bark ( yes – I said Homemade Peppermint Bark)

Remember:

A Blog is Born*

Today – 12/28/11 – I write my first healthy living blog entry!

A year ago today — I weighed 127 pounds and was in the best shape of my life.*

skinny me

 silly me

The past year – between dating a chef – being stressed out at work – reducing my workouts from 5 to 7 times per week to 2 to 3 times per week – celebrating engagements, weddings and babies with friends and family – new hobby of baking — the pounds have creeped back on and….

This morning I weighed 138 pounds…

Over the upcoming months I would like to get back down to my ideal weight of 127 pounds.

I vow to be attempt to be a sweaty mess everyday in 2012….!

Here I go!!!

Workout:
9:30 – Cardio Madness –  class at gym

Included bench jump squats, weighted jumping jacks, squat with shoulder press, planks, push-ups and burpees – each move for 4 minutes – 20 seconds on – 10 seconds rest – not too shabby!!

Fuel:

Breakfast

Steel cut oats with apple, cinnamon and nutmeg

Lunch
Larabar
Greek Yogurt with dates and figs

Snack
Chocolate Covered Fig

Green Tea

Dinner
Roasted Vegetable Calzones

Adapted from Supercharged – Roasted Vegetables Recipe

Roasted Vegetable Calzone

1. Chopped eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, red onion, tossed with her dressing – and roasted! = magic*

2. Rolled out pizza dough –

3. Placed roasted veggies on one half

4.  Covered in an italian blend grated cheese

5. Baked at 400 for about 25 minutes.

I am on vacation!!!
Things I love about vacation:
1. Not hearing my alarm going off at 5:45
2. Being able to sleep until I want to
3. Working out during the day!!!
4. Going to some of my favorite classes that are during the day at the gym.
5. Being able to make a slow breakfast and sit at the table and enjoy it.
6. Time to organize all of my stuff…
7. Focus and energy to read – instead of falling asleep as soon as I open the page.
8. Seeing friends
9. Seeing family
10. Day trip – adventures!!

What is your favorite thing to do over vacation?