NOT hungry?!

This morning I ran on the treadmill (my parents left so I have that option again.) I made pumpkin muffins yesterday, so I served the kids those for breakfast along with leftover rice pudding and scrambled eggs. The pumpkin muffins weren't that great--I ran out of sugar, which should be a good thing, since we are trying to avoid it, but really pumpkin muffins need some sort of sweetener. I used some Agave nectar, but apparently not enough! I'm still trying to figure that stuff out. Oh well...

Lincoln and I didn't get to go on our bike ride today--the schedule this week is a little weird because Audrey is getting outpatient surgery tomorrow. Anyway, I was glad I got that running in first thing.

For lunch I had leftover salad, leftover chicken and leftover flatbread.
I did a total body strength session after lunch and drank a lot of water.

Then, for some odd reason, I was simply NOT hungry again until late--like 7:00!! I think it might have been all the water I drank. I ate two pieces of cantaloupe around 5:30 to tide me over while I went grocery shopping. Then I came home and had a nice, big SIAB. I made a peach, pineapple, strawberry, mango, banana, vanilla, spinach protein smoothie and topped it with some various cereals, chopped almonds and chia seeds. It was good and I still feel very full!

Free weekend

Yesterday was technically my free day, but I do feel like it was the end of a free weekend. Ugh.

I started off with my normal oatmeal and egg, but just for a bit of variety I added a little bit of this Kashi cereal to the oatmeal. It was good!
Snacks are always tricky when I have to eat them inconspicuously at church; yesterday I brought these tasty crackers and a light string cheese. Unfortunately, after one bite it became very obvious that the cheese was past it's sell-by date, so one bite is all I had. Yuck.
Lunch was a roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy (I didn't have those), breadsticks (I had too many of those), salad and squash. Too many carbs!! I don't like this Sunday lunch and we have it often. I need to find an alternative.
I made chocolate chip pumpkin bread for choir practice (which I have at my house every Sunday afternoon) and I snacked a bit too much on that (just to make sure it tasted okay...) Then I had a protein shake and Vitatop for dinner. Unfortunately I had those chocolate chips on the brain and kept snacking on those as well. See, what a horrible weekend it has been (food wise!) ?!

I did some Pilates in the evening and then came to my senses and threw the rest of the chocolate chips in the trash. Sianara, temptation! Here's to a perfect day today!!

Attack of the Seasonal Allergies

Yesterday I got up bright and early to get in some cardio before heading out to spend a fun day with my parents and the kids. I just did the elliptical again. I know my cardio has been a little elliptical-heavy lately, but our work out room is located directly next to the guest room and I don't think my parents would appreciate listening to me run on the treadmill at 5:30 am every morning. (The elliptical is quieter and located upstairs.)

We had a quick breakfast and were out the door by 8:00 in the morning. We had a lot of fun activities planned--all of them outside. Well, I don't know what happened, but suddenly my body decided that it was allergic to the entire state of Colorado. My allergies have been flaring up a little this week, but they were horrible yesterday. By 9:15 in the morning I had literally cried off all of my eye makeup. Luckily there weren't too many other people around--they would have wondered why I had tears pouring down my face as we examined the dinosaur bones. I find dinosaur bones interesting, but usually they don't move me to tears.

Anyway, I suffered through the rest of our planned activities. We had our normal snacks (I had a yogurt bowl and the kids had Z bars) and a picnic lunch of turkey sandwiches. By the time we got home I was a sniveling mess. I blindly rummaged through the cupboards and took the first allergy medicine I could find.

We went out for an early dinner at Texas Roadhouse because Isaac had earned some free kids meals there at school. I had skipped my afternoon snack which wasn't the greatest of plans. I went into the meal hungry, tired and stressed. I hate taking the kids to restaurants. I did good ordering for the most part. I forgot to ask for my dressing on the side for the Caesar salad,


but I did remember to get the lemon butter on the side for the grilled salmon.

The food was good, but I have to admit I lost control with the rolls and had four of them! At least they are small.

Then I fell asleep on the way home from Texas Roadhouse! It is a 15 minute drive. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I was so exhausted and so foggy I couldn't even function. I knew there would be no more working out last night. My mom suggested that maybe the allergy medicine I had taken could be making me tired. I checked the box. "Marked Drowsiness may occur." Yeah, they weren't kidding. I was a zombie. In my zombie-like state I may have consumed some chocolate chips and cereal as well last night. I was still recovering from the stress of taking my kids out to eat in public. I HATE IT.

Anyway, so there you have it. Allergies + Visitors + Stress + Medication = some bad choices on my part, especially since I was unable to work out anymore last night.
It is really best for us to just avoid restaurants for so many reasons. Even special occasions become a lot less special when you are spending a bunch of money for fattening food that your kids refuse to eat because they are full from the rolls and peanuts. Really, not worth it.

Three-a-days...

Breakfast for the girls was eaten al fresco this morning. Brown rice pudding sweetened with agave nectar, sweet potato puree, yellow squash puree, cinnamon and fresh organic milk. I got in an elliptical work out first thing and then had to hurry to get ready and get the kids to school.

While the kids were at school, my parents and I took Lincoln to a fun farm/museum. We stopped at Marie Callendar's for lunch on the way home. I probably got a few weird looks when I took out my camera and snapped a picture of what I ordered. It was good--I got a turkey club sandwich but asked for sourdough bread instead of a croissant, and also got no mayo and no bacon.
I took only a few bites of the coleslaw.

I did a great total body strength work out while Lincoln took his afternoon nap. One of the things I love about my parents is that they don't think twice about me working out multiple times in one day while they are visiting. They know it has to be a priority--they are the same way. My mom bikes over 90 miles a week herself! Anyway, they are good visitors!

We made our famous grilled chicken pizzas for dinner. And I made a few extra crust rounds to have with honey for dessert. I am such a sucker for good, fresh bread!

And then I caved and had a cookie from Paradise. :( Just did 30 extra minutes on the elliptical, so hopefully that counteracted it a little!!

Breakfast for Lunch!

Breakfast was my FAVORITE--French Toast. I made it with whole wheat French bread from Sprouts and I added sweet potato puree and vanilla soy protein powder to the egg mixture. It was really yummy. I ended up eating that instead of my normal oatmeal and egg. I can't resist French toast.

This morning was our bi-weekly bike ride. I love going riding with Lincoln. I especially love it when half-way up the huge hill he always says, "Whew, this is hard work, Mommy." (He is sitting in a seat on the back of my bike, mind you.)

For lunch I decided to embrace my new way of thinking and follow my food instincts. Since I hadn't had my normal breakfast in the morning, I just had it for lunch!
Yes, I am living dangerously.

I did the Pilates ab workout this afternoon and spent a lot of the day cleaning, since my parents got into town this evening. I think cleaning burns lots of calories, right? It should.

For dinner I made a BFL recipe that I'd never tried before, Sesame Beef Stir Fry. I liked it a lot!
I'll have to post the recipe tomorrow. Good night!

Cravings

I was thinking a lot about last night's eating binge after I went to bed. I realized it all could have been prevented if I had listened to my body to begin with. At dinner time, I did not want to eat tuna apple sandwiches. I wanted a yogurt bowl. But for some reason I have this idea ingrained within me that I need to eat what is served--even if I am the one serving it, apparently. And yogurt is not a dinner food, so that just seemed off-limits. So I went ahead and followed social conventions and ignored my craving and ate the tuna sandwich. It didn't satisfy the craving, though, so I ended up eating cereal later to give my body what it wanted.

I have heard the theory that your body craves what it needs but I think a lot of the time that theory is used to justify eating things you WANT. But there might be some truth to it. All weekend I was craving red meat, which I usually avoid. But who knows--I could have been low in iron or something. I finally had some and it was great. I'm going to try to be more in tune with my cravings and also more open to eating what I want as long as it is healthy. I mean, it's not like I was craving one of these...
You've heard about these donut bacon burgers, right? I get waves of nausea just thinking about them.

Confessions of a Foodaholic

Wednesdays are busy--I spend all morning at the school volunteering. I decided to skip the morning workout so I could get ready. Breakfast for the kids was parfaits. (Obviously I don't follow the menu plan perfectly.) I eat the same stuff all the time, so I don't think I'll bore you with the particulars.

I got home from the school and had a quick turkey sandwich piled with vegetables--purple onions, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and avocados. I also had Sun Chips and grapes on the side and WATER. I was pretty hungry at that point.

I did a full body strength training routine and tried to get in my cardio. A whopping six minutes into the elliptical Lincoln woke up from his nap.

Dinner was tuna apple sandwiches on sandwich thins, salad and cantaloupe.

I was stressed after dinner. What I should have done was gone straight down to the treadmill. What I did was eat. Ugh. I ate cereal. I knew full well I shouldn't have. I wasn't hungry. It was pure emotional indulgence. Oh well. Life goes on. I did hit the treadmill after my breakdown. Now I'm watching "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

Onward and upward.

Two year old Tuesday

I take care of three two-year-olds every Tuesday. And this is just what it looks like, too.


I know you are jealous.

One is my own, two are borrowed. It is actually kinda fun. Anyway, it does make my Tuesdays interesting!

I definitely have to get a head start every Tuesday morning, so I got up early (not as early as some of my kids who were up around 5:15) and did the elliptical. I made Golden Pancakes for the kids (scroll down for the recipe.) They liked them--all except for Audrey, but she doesn't like anything I make. She still ate them. I had the usual oatmeal and egg. It really fills me up!

My morning snack was a yogurt bowl and for lunch I had leftover spaghetti and meatballs and a pluot. I think a pluot is a mix between a plum and an apricot. Who has the job of breeding fruit, I would like to know? It was pretty good.
Look at my heart-shaped bite!

I just did the Pilates leg work out this afternoon. I find it to be pretty easy and I like that you spend the entire work out laying on the floor. It is definitely my cop-out work out. But just remember--two year old Tuesday,thank you very much. Besides, I really had stuff I needed to get done, so there you have it. My afternoon snack was a chocolate peanut butter banana protein shake with a Vitatop.

My afternoon got a little rough and by the time Ryan got home I was ready to leave forever, so instead I decided to mow the lawn. We have a push mower, so it was a nice work out to end the day and relieve the stress. There is nothing like working out when you want to kill someone. Nothing at all.

Dinner was eaten half-way through the lawn care--just an egg sandwich (aka Egg McMuffin, but made at home). We use whole grain English muffins, reduced fat pepper jack cheese and our cage free eggs. And once again, that cantaloupe was TO DIE for!

Now I'm off to take a nice long shower and RELAX! It is so nice to be able to do that after the last few days I have had!!

Golden Pancakes

Adapted from a "Eating for Life" recipe.

2 cups uncooked oats (non-instant)
12 egg whites
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
2 TBSP Agave nectar

In a blender combine all the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour batter, 1/4 cup at a time, onto a hot skillet. Flip when bubbly and cook until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup. (This makes 4 servings.)

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
2 egg whites
1/2 cup dry Italian-style breadcrumbs
1/2 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced (I used dried, a pinch)
2 tsp. dried basil (I used fresh, YUM)
1 tsp. black pepper

1 small can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1/2 cup puree of choice (green or yellow squash)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning, or more, to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed

whole wheat spaghetti noodles
reduced fat Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven broiler. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, egg whites, breadcrumbs, oats, water, onion, garlic, parsley, basil and pepper. Mix ingredients thoroughly and then shape into 1 1/2 diameter meatballs.

Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally until they are browned on all sides.

In a large pan, combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, puree, Italian seasoning, garlic and cooked meatballs. Simmer over low heat about 20 minutes.

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Catching up

What a great day. I have absolutely NO WHERE that I have to go today (except to pick up the kids from school.) I need this break! So I'll catch up a bit, even though I should be cleaning my house or enjoying the incredibly cool, fall-like weather going on outside.

The other night I made BLT's (using spinach and turkey-bacon, so maybe I should call them TBST's.) I used the sandwich thins and added a bit of avocado, too. YUM! I never got a chance to blog it, so here you go!

One of the many errands that kept me busy yesterday was grocery shopping. I was excited to find that Wal-mart is carrying a brand of organic, hormone-free poultry products! It is called Harvestland and I got ground turkey, a whole chicken fryer and boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

I also picked up this Agave Nectar, which is a natural sweetener made from the agave plant in Mexico. It is sweeter than sugar, so you can use less. I still need to do more research about it, but I wanted to give it a try.

Becca asked about the health benefits of squash. I am great at googling...

"Summer squash contains vitamin C as well as beta-carotene, folate, and fiber. These nutrients make summer squash a tool in preventing cancers, heart disease, and diseases of inflammation such as arthritis and asthma. Whether you're trying to lose weight or just adopt a healthier eating program, summer squash's rich fiber content can help you get full faster -- and give you many of the nutrients you need."

Of course, if you are referring to the sport, it has great cardiovascular benefits as well! :)

Also, thanks to Becca and Shannon for your comments. I really love doing this blog and I feel very passionate about it. It is nice to know that I am not doing it for my own health! I'm glad I have readers!!

What did I tell you?

I'm back. I knew I would be busy--I'm still going 100 miles per hour today, too. Maybe if I work on this in shifts...

Yesterday things were somewhat less busy (kind of) and I did manage to get a picture of lunch--grilled fish tacos! Yummy! We used tilapia and made them in foil packets with lime juice. Unfortunately, when I went to get the toppings together, I realized we were out of sour cream and our avocado was a little overripe. The tacos were still good. I served them with grilled pineapple (pineapples were on sale last week--88 cents each, in case you are wondering.)

It's been a week or two now since I got on my restricted sugar/anti-belly bloat foods/no Diet Coke kick and I have to say I have noticed a definite difference. It is possible that it is all in my head, but I definitely feel like I look slimmer in the mid-section. I try to ask Ryan if he can tell a difference, but all he says is that I look good. Seeing that he said the same thing when I was pregnant with twins and weighed over 200 pounds, it is hard to judge if he is telling the truth. Either way, I feel really good, and that is all that matters, right?!

Okay--eight hour break between what I last wrote and this. I am on my way to work, but I wanted to try to get this in.

Breakfast: same old, same old

Snack: Greek yogurt (on the run)

Lunch: Qdoba Naked Chicken taco salad--eaten in about 3 minutes flat (NO time today!!)

Snack: Berry shake inhaled on my way back out the door

Dinner: Spaghetti and Meatballs with added yellow squash in the sauce. Thanks to someone at church whose garden is a heck of a lot more prolific than ours.

I also did a bike ride and total body strength. And now I have to run...AGAIN.

Busy

I didn't take any food pictures today! What kind of a blogger am I?

Cardio this morning was elliptical. And I was NOT in the mood. But I still did it.

The kids had blueberry pancakes with green puree. I had the same as always (oatmeal and egg), but I had it late (like 9:15 am) so I was all off schedule today.

I spent all morning volunteering at the school, then I had to run errands in preparation for a busy weekend, so I finally ate again around 1:00. I had a leftover turkey burger, grilled pineapple and a grilled peach half. I also had one square of a Goodness Knows snack.

I am SORE from yesterday! That Yoga, my goodness! My obliques and quads are killing me! Anyway, I did a pretty good strength work out after lunch, but unfortunately, Lincoln wouldn't take his nap so I had to cut it short. I am constantly battling my desire to work out vs. my kids' desire to be awake when they shouldn't be.

My snack was quite the internal debate for me--yogurt bowl or smoothie? I couldn't decide! Since I didn't get my morning snack I was feeling deprived. I ended up going with the smoothie to make sure I got a good serving of berries and spinach in.

Dinner was breakfast burritos with whole wheat tortillas. I used mostly egg whites for the insides and of course added green puree. I wasn't hungry, however. It was a busy night and by the time I got done helping with homework and projects, supervising piano practice and shuttling kids to after-school activities, I decided that I didn't want breakfast burritos and I had my beloved yogurt bowl after all. And this time I left out the "fruit on the bottom" and just added blueberries. Yum.

Another busy day ahead tomorrow, and the next day, and the next and even the next. I will try to be consistent with my blogging, but I am making no promises!
Great advice, huh? That person obviously doesn't have kids.

A pineapple day

The kids were up before the alarm again this morning. Grrr... I told them that this is MY time and they are welcome to be awake in their rooms, but I needed to work out.

I then ran on the treadmill, doing intervals for 20 minutes.

Breakfast was oatmeal for all today. The kids had theirs with added green puree, cinnamon and some Splenda (although my plan is to switch to Truvia once I'm out of Splenda.) I had mine like I do every day--frozen blueberries, chopped almonds and unsweetened almond milk. While I was getting breakfast ready I kept getting a sniff of the pineapple I had sitting on the counter, so I had to have that along with my oatmeal and egg. And judging from the past few pictures of the HB eggs I've had for breakfast, I am completely inept when it comes to peeling eggs.

Morning snack was a yogurt bowl. The Greek yogurt I have may be high in sugar, but it is also the "fruit on the bottom" kind, so it occurred to me today (after I ate it) that if I didn't include the fruit on the bottom, it would probably have a lot less sugar. I'll have to try that tomorrow.

Lunch was leftovers from last night--chicken pita pizzas and salad.

I did Yoga X from P90X after lunch. One thing about P90X is that it tells you in the bottom corner of the screen how long the work out is. When I started the Yoga I noticed that it was over an hour and a half!! I don't ever have a block of time that long available to work out. I ended up doing most of it--I love Yoga and it was a good work out, but by the end I thought I was going to pull my hair out if I had to do another vinyasa. Finally I just had to stop because I had other stuff to do--but I did 1 hour and 15 minutes.

This is hard.


Snack was a berry smoothie with a Vitatop. I'm running low on Vitatops--any locals going to Costco soon that can pick me up some?

Dinner will soon be turkey burgers on whole wheat buns with grilled pineapple and grilled peaches on the side. Yes, we should have eaten by now, but we had issues. Like me trying to grill by myself while Ryan got new tires put on the Expedition and then running out of propane just after I put all the raw meat on the grill. So fun.

And in a few minutes I'm off to teach a class at church about nutrition. One of the hazards of having a public blog. Hopefully I get to eat before I leave.

Chicken Pita Pizzas

Whole Wheat Pitas
Tomato Sauce*
Italian Seasoning
Cooked Chicken breast, sliced
Red bell pepper, sliced
Yellow bell pepper, sliced
Zucchini
Cottage Cheese
Low-fat Mozzarella shred
Onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the pitas on baking sheet. Spoon tomato sauce evenly on top, then add a layer of cottage cheese. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Top with sliced peppers, chicken, zucchini, onions and mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*I noticed recently that my pasta sauce contains HFCS, so I have switched to just using plain tomato sauce and spices. Much healthier! You could also add a puree here, if desired.

Switching it up!

I tried to get up early to get in a nice work out, but the kids woke up before my alarm. Ugh. So I got them breakfast and attempted to do the elliptical while they ate. Ha. This is how it goes.

Me: (thinking) Five minutes! Not too shabby...
Audrey: I need more milk!
***
Me: (thinking) Okay, back on it...two more minutes down...
Chloe: I need another bagel!
***
Me: (thinking) Here we go...three minutes...
Isaac: Can I have more?
***
Me: (thinking) I've gotten everyone everything they could possibly need...
Lincoln: I need to get washed off!

Anyway, I did get 20 minutes in, but they weren't that great. Oh well, the life of a mom.

Breakfast for the kids was whole wheat bagels (NO HFCS and little sugar) with fat free cream cheese. Some topped theirs with cinnamon, some with jam. They also had peaches and milk.

I had plain oatmeal with blueberries and an egg.

Lincoln and I went on our bi-weekly bike ride. We haven't gone in over a week because we had a flat tire and I was feeling it! I pushed myself to try to go all the way back UP the huge hill, and I did get further this time, but still not quite all the way to the top. Whew.

Surprisingly I wasn't really hungry for my morning snack so I just had a small yogurt bowl. I tried a new brand of Greek yogurt that I bought in bulk at Costco.

Unfortunately I bought it before I decided to restrict my sugar! This has even more than my old brand. The more I look around, the more I realize this no sugar thing is going to be tricky. I think I'm going to have to go to plain Greek yogurt in order to avoid the sugar.

Lunch was a big salad with added black beans and cottage cheese for protein. I also had a sandwich thin on the side.



I'm trying to switch up my work out routine to kick this extra weight. I was doing 4 days of strength training a week (alternating upper and lower) with pilates on the other days. I'm going to switch to strength training my whole body three days a week for a while and see how it goes. (I still do cardio 6 days a week.) So today I did a full body work out after lunch.

I wasn't hungry again for my afternoon snack, so I just had a small blueberry protein shake.

Dinner was Chicken Pita Pizzas, salad and cantaloupe. And see that mug? Full of lemon water--I've been doing so good!

Becky asked about the bread I use. This is what I got this week. My new plan is to go for what is on sale that meets the requirements--no HFCS, low sugar, whole wheat, etc. Although I have to report that Heidi e-mailed me an article today that says that Sara Lee is going to start making their soft and smooth whole wheat bread without HFCS! It will still have sugar, but it is nice to see that they are listening to consumers!!

Another Sunday

Time flies when you are having fun! I can't believe it's Sunday again already. Ah, free day!

I ended up falling asleep in my clothes at 7:00 pm last night and I slept until 7:00 am this morning! So I didn't end up working out any more yesterday. Obviously my body needed sleep more than exercise, and who am I to argue with my body? I got up this morning and did some Yoga before things got too crazy.

The kids had cereal and I had oatmeal with berries and almond milk and a hard boiled egg. I am trying to incorporate these foods into my daily diet because of the "This is why you're fat" book. And they fit in nicely with our "Body for Life" style of eating as well (1 serving carbs, 1 serving protein.) I will quote for you...

"Eggs...are such a great fat burning food. They supply a nutrient called lecithin, which breaks down fat in the body...Eating eggs also curbs your appetite. You'll feel full a lot longer...Oatmeal...is one of the healthy carbs and is less likely to be deposited as body fat than many other carb sources. It digests slowly, which means that your body gets a steady stream--rather than a tide--of energy as carbohydrates gradually flow into your bloodstream...Oatmeal also keeps insulin levels low and steady to prevent weight gain. Additionally, it's a whole grain, which means it's full of soluble fiber--the good stuff that carries fat out of your body. Oatmeal also contains the energizing--and stress-lowering--B vitamin family, which helps transform carbs into usable energy." (This is Why You're Fat, Jackie Warner. Pg. 58-59)
Gosh, maybe I should just start eating oatmeal for every meal.

My snack was string cheese and crackers eaten at church. Lunch was chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy (I didn't have any of those), salad and fruit.

I got to have a yogurt bowl for my afternoon snack (it's been too long) and then a smoothie for dinner! And, only because it is my free day, I had some cereal and almonds for an evening snack.

Day 2 of NO DC!! Who is proud of me? I have been focusing on drinking a lot more water, too.

Back in the saddle tomorrow! My bike is fixed, so Lincoln and I get to do our bike ride in the morning! Yee haw!