Your Best Body Challenge - Day 2

On to Day 2 of the challenge! If you're catching up, here are the links to the previous posts: Intro Post, Day 1 Post

Here is what was on the plan for today:

And here's how things actually went down!

BREAKFAST
2 slices of whole wheat toast (50 calories each) topped with 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 1 banana (sliced), 1 tsp chia seeds & a sprinkle of coconut. Plus coffee!

I deviated from the plan by having two pieces of toast and adding the chia seeds/coconut but I'm okay with it.


MORNING SNACK

Skipped because I wasn't hungry (and I don't like raisins anyway).


LUNCH
Turkey Taco Salad

The plan called for leftover spicy chicken pasta from last night, but my husband took the leftovers for his lunch, so I was left to improvise. I made the turkey taco salad with (leftover from Sunday's dinner) turkey taco meat & black beans, salsa, a dollop of greek yogurt and about 4 tortilla chips crumbled.


AFTERNOON SNACK
Strawberry greek yogurt


DINNER
Homemade falafel burger on a whole wheat bun with sweet potato fries.

The plan called for us to have Miso Salmon for dinner tonight but we're not big salmon fans in this family so I subbed tomorrow night's dinner instead. The dinner said a "veggie burger" which I assume meant a frozen pre-made veggie burger, but I decided to take it a step further and make my own homemade meatless burger.

I used a falafel burger recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Can You Stay For Dinner?. She has one of the best food blogs EVER, an amazing weight loss story and a killer personality...check her out if you haven't already!

Anyway, these falafel burgers didn't disappoint! They were delish...even my meat-loving husband agreed.
Falafel Burgers
Source: Can You Stay For Dinner?
Yield: 4 Burgers

Ingredients

For the burgers:
2 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 large handful parsley, chopped (I used cilantro instead)
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon chili powder (we were out so I used smoked paprika)
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup vegetable oil

For the Tahini Sauce:
½ cup tahini paste
3 tablespoons water
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

Preparation
Step 1
Combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, flour, spices, and salt in a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is well combined. Form the mixture into 4 large patties.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook burgers for about 3 minutes per side.
Step 3
Make the tahini sauce: Whisk the tahini paste with the water, lemon juice and zest, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a mixing bowl.
Step 4
Serve the burgers in pita pockets or on a bun. Top them with tahini sauce, lettuce, and tomato.




DESSERT

I haven't gotten the urge for a sweet yet, but if I do I'm planning on grabbing a small handful of Junior Mints for dessert (my favorite candy ever)!


FITNESS

The plan didn't call for any exercise today but I did a 3.35 mile jog/walk. It was supposed to be strictly a jog but I had to stop about 2.25 miles in because my legs are so sore from yesterday's workout and they just weren't wanting to keep going. So I walked the rest and called it a day.


CONCLUSION

I feel a little guilty that I strayed from the plan so much today, but I think I still managed to make good swaps and healthy decisions. You gotta do what you gotta do!

P.S. This whole blogging everything you eat throughout the day thing is EXHAUSTING and takes me forever! I'm so glad I'm only doing this for one week! I have no idea how the healthy living bloggers do it with 3 posts a day, everyday.

Your Best Body Challenge - Day 1

So today was day numero uno of the Best Body Challenge Week! I'd say it was a good first day, although I did find myself with a few obstacles and making a few minor tweaks to the plan to keep me happy. :)

Here is what the plan called for:

And here is how things actually went down:

BREAKFAST

2 scrambled eggs + 1 egg white + whole wheat toast (I can't eat eggs without toast) + coffee

plus half a grapefruit


MORNING SNACK

I skipped snack #1 because I wasn't hungry between breakfast and lunch.


LUNCH
Turkey wrap made with 4 slices of deli-style turkey, a sprinkle of shredded mozarella cheese, dijon mustard & some spring greens all rolled up in a whole wheat tortilla.

On the side I had a sliced apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter (which I justified was okay since I skipped the morning snack).


AFTERNOON SNACK

Sargento Light String Cheese. After I finished the snack I was still hungry and knew I wouldn't make it til dinner without a little more, so I actually ate a 2nd string cheese. This particular brand is only 50 calories per piece so my snack was still only 100 calories.


DINNER

Spicy Chicken Pasta + a side salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette


I adapted the recipe a bit to increase a lot of the amounts so we would have enough to satisfy my husband's hungry tummy. I also added a few things that I thought would make the flavor better (chili powder in marinara sauce just didn't appeal to me).

Spicy Chicken Pasta
adapted from Women's Health Magazine

serves 3-4

6.5 oz thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta (about half a box)
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks (about 2 breasts)
1 tsp flour
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1.5 cups spaghetti sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain.

As pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic until the onion starts to get tender.

Add the chicken, red pepper flakes, cayenne, paprika & Italian seasoning to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost completely cooked through.

Mix the flour and the water in a small bowl. Pour the spaghetti sauce and flour mixture into the skillet. Add a little water to the pan if you need to thin out the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Pour the cooked pasta into the pan with the sauce and mix well. Add salt & pepper to taste and sprinkle fresh basil on top.


DESSERT

Okay so according to the plan there is no dessert option for tonight, but I have to at least have something sweet at night so I am planning on eating one small square of Lindt Dark Chocolate (unpictured because I haven't eaten it yet).


FITNESS

I did two back-to-back sets of all the strength training exercises in the "best workout for a pear-shaped body".

Then I followed it up with the "Smart Cardio Intervals":
I did my "maximum effort" intervals at 7.0mph on the treadmill and my "recover" intervals walking at 3.6mph. The whole thing took about 30 minutes and I think I burned around 300 calories. I was a schweaty mess when it was all over!


CONCLUSION

I think I did pretty darn good today! Other than the time in the afternoon when I was hungry, I felt satiated most of the day.

I'm already thinking though that this won't last more than a week because I didn't really like being confined to a set plan. I tend to just go with my cravings, so it's hard when I want something but "can't" have it. For example, for breakfast I really wanted my usual peanut butter & banana oatmeal, but the plan called for eggs. I decided to stick to the plan as closely as possible for just a week as an experiment of sorts, but I don't see myself continuing with it after the week is up.

We shall see!

This Week in Fitness

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Monday 4/4: 10 lb Slimdown Lower + 10 lb Slimdown Upper + 20-min Treadmill Hill Workout

Tuesday 4/5: 31 minute jog (~3.07 miles)

Wednesday 4/6: 30 Day Shred Level 3 + Quick & Dirty 20-minute HIIT Workout (scroll down for the workout)

Thursday 4/7: 50-min walk with Husband and Dog + Yoga to the People 60-min podcast (they're FREE on iTunes!)

Friday 4/8: 34 minute jog (~3.25 miles) + Tone it Up's Lean Abs Pyramid (Only took about 10 minutes and was an ab burner!)

Saturday 4/9: Rest day

Sunday 4/10: 39 minute jog (~3.85 miles) (I wasn't expecting to go for more than 3.25 miles, but I felt great so I just kept going!)

Quick & Dirty 20-minute HIIT Workout
0-4 min = warm up walk
4-5 = sprint
5-6 = power walk
6-17 = repeat 1 min sprint/1 min walk
17-21 = cool down walk

Favorite Fitness Moment of the Week: Discovering the free yoga podcasts on iTunes! It was challenging to only have the voice telling you what to do and not being able to see it in action, but I really enjoyed it. I am constantly amazed at how many great FREE fitness opportunities there are out there! You don't have to spend a lot of money on a gym membership to get a great workout.

Favorite Fitness Tune of the Week: This week my "tune" is a little different...I actually started listening to an audio book during my runs! I bought the book Cutting for Stone via iTunes and the time seems to fly by! One of my biggest problems during runs is that I can't get out of my own head ("when is this going to be over?" or "I'm going so slow"), so having the distraction of a book is really helpful.

Have you ever tried listening to an audio book while you workout? What did you think?

Your Best Body Challenge

Today on Twitter I saw a link to the Women's Health magazine "Your Best Body" workout and diet plan. I clicked on it and immediately thought, "I should do this! This looks totally doable!" I've been lacking in my ability to plan our meals in advance lately, so I thought this would be a great way to get myself back into a routine.

Also, I am looking at this as kind of an experiment of sorts. I generally eat very healthy throughout the week; lots of fruit & veggies, whole grains only, lean meats, etc. but I am curious to see if following a set plan will jump start weight loss. (My weight has been kind of stagnant lately, despite my healthy eating & fitness habits. I'm not looking to lose a lot more weight (I've already lost about 12 pounds), but I wouldn't mind another 5 or so pounds coming off!)

The "Your Best Body" plan seems very easy to follow and self-explanatory. They have recipes, eating out tips, shopping lists, and more all for FREE on the website! The recipes are simple and not too complicated if you're new to cooking.

Anyway, the reason I'm going on and on about this is because I am going to do the "Your Best Body" plan for one week and I'm going to try to post daily about how it's going for the next week. I know only a week may seem kind of silly, but I am hesitant to commit to longer than that for now. Maybe I will continue after a week, maybe I won't. We shall see.

Today I downloaded the Week 1 shopping list, went to the grocery store and stocked up on all the items I didn't have in my pantry or fridge already. I was expecting it to be a super-expensive grocery bill, but it was actually LESS than I normal spend at the grocery store for a week! Bonus!

I'm also planning on loosely following the "Your Best Body" workout plan for a pear-shaped body type. They have workout plans designed specifically for all the different body types! Cool, right? (I'm not going to follow the fitness plan exactly though because I do still want to keep up with my running 3x per week and yoga 1x per week.)

So that's it! I'm starting officially on Monday, but I wanted to post about it today just in case any of you guys want to follow along and participate with me! You should still have plenty of time to run to the grocery store and stock up on supplies.

So, any takers? :)

March Favorites

First, let me preface this post by saying that I PROMISE there are some great food-related posts coming soon to Cupcakes and Combat Boots! I've been cooking as normal, but for some reason I've been procrastinating doing the posts. I've made it my goal to get three or four recipe posts done in the next few days so stay tuned!

Now, moving on, I thought I'd share some of the new things I've been loving lately. These posts always give me great ideas when other people do them, so hopefully they'll do the same for you!

1. Chia Seeds

(Source)

Chia Seeds are a great source of Omega-3's (even better than flax seeds), high in fiber, and have many other health benefits which you can read about here. I'd been wanting to try chia seeds for a while now but could never find them in stores (though I believe they do carry them in Whole Foods), so I bit the bullet and just ordered a package of them through Amazon. Since receiving them in the mail, I've been loving adding them to smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, etc.

2. Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover

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In this post back in January I wrote about loving Garnier Moisture Rescue face wash, but I started to change my mind about it after using it for a while. Yes, it did keep my face moisturized, but I couldn't stand the residue that it left behind on my face and the fact that it didn't do a very good job of getting my eye makeup off. I like cleaning my face and having it LOOK AND FEEL CLEAN, not have a layer of gunk leftover. I was on the lookout for a face wash that didn't leave a residue, but also didn't strip my natural oils too much. So I stumbled upon this new Neutrogena Naturals line of products and immediately plunked down the $6.99 to try the "Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover" face wash. And I LOVE IT!!! It's exactly what I was looking for (removes makeup, leaves me feeling fresh and clean but not dry), AND it smells fantastic!

3. Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo

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I love the idea of dry shampoo, but I hadn't been really impressed with the products I'd tried in the past. They left a gummy texture and usually a white residue in my hair that really didn't make my hair look or feel clean. Then I spotted this Suave Professionals version of dry shampoo and decided it was worth the $2.99 price tag to give it a shot. My verdict is: TWO THUMBS UP! I couldn't believe how good it smells (it reminds me of candy) and it doesn't leave any weird texture or white residue in my hair. Seriously, buy this stuff!

4. Intak by Thermos water bottle

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I've always been bad about drinking enough water, but as part of my new healthy living routine I decided to make drinking water a priority. In order to kick start my new priority, I bought an intak by Thermos water bottle (found it at Target). Turns out having a new water bottle DOES help me drink more water! I love this thing! It has a lid that snaps securely shut and locks so I can toss it in a bag and not worry about it leaking. It also has a "water intake gauge" on it where you can turn the dial each time you fill up the bottle so you can keep track of how much you're drinking throughout the day. Oh and the all-time best thing about it? It's dishwasher safe! :)

5. Tabbed Socks

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This is kind of a random one, but I swear by athletic socks with the little extra tabs on the back! Why? Because I've always had issues with my ankle socks falling down as I run or workout and then I end up with major blisters on the backs of my heels. Not fun! But these socks solve that problem because the tab causes the sock to stay put above your shoe and not work its way down your heel. I buy my tabbed socks from Target (the ones pictured above aren't the exact ones I wear, just the closest picture I could find) and they're pretty cheap!

There you have it! What are your March favorites??

Oh, and one thing I'm NOT loving lately? This potential "government shut down" that would mean our troops won't get paid for who knows how long (but still expected to report to work as usual). This is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE to me. Our troops are putting their lives on the line everyday and they should be the LAST people to have their pay cut off. President Obama needs to get his act together and PREVENT this from happening, instead of continuing to reject solutions.

End of vent.

This Week in Fitness

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Monday 3/28: Fitness 360 Cardio + Fitness 360 Total Tone (each about 20 min. long and each from Exercise OnDemand) + this 20 Minute Treadmill Hill Workout

Tuesday 3/29: Couch to 5K Week 9, Day 3 ~30 minute jog (LAST day of the program!!)

Wednesday 3/30: 45 minute Spin Class + 10 minutes of ab work

Thursday 3/31: 31 minute jog (~3.06 miles) + Bethenny Frankel Yoga (Exercise OnDemand)

Friday 4/1: None

Saturday 4/2: 31 minute jog (~3 miles)

Sunday 4/3: 40 minute walking incline intervals on treadmill (didn't follow a specific routine...just kept changing my incline so that I was working up a sweat)

Favorite Fitness Moment of the Week: Definitely completing the Couch to 5K program! I am SO NOT A RUNNER and I've always hated running, so this is huge for me. I even tried doing Couch to 5K twice before but ended up quitting before I completed it, so I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it this time. I'm now able to run for at least 30 minutes (about 3 miles) and I'm working on gradually increasing my pace and my distance. I'm also looking into signing up for my first EVER 5K race! I've always wanted to run in a 5K but never wanted to embarrass myself....now I can run confidently! If you're interested in the Couch to 5K program, I highly recommend the iPhone or iPod app...it makes your life so much easier because it tells you when to run/walk. But even if you don't have the app, you can follow this written plan.

Favorite Fitness Tune of the Week: "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera - Whenever this song comes on during my jogs it always pumps me up and makes me want to push harder. Love it!


Another great week in fitness, if you ask me!

How did you do this week?

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #36

It's that time again! For more info on the Fill-In and to check out other spouses' answers to the questions, visit Wife of a Sailor's blog.

1. What romance movie scene reminds you of your s/o or spouse and the LOVE you share?

This was a tough one! But after careful thought and discussion with my husband, we have decided that we are most like the couple from The Proposal (played by Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds). She is neurotic, independent, assertive and a little demanding; he is sweet-natured, funny and easy-going. Despite their differences, somehow they just work together! (FYI I fully realize that this description of me makes me seem like the Wicked Witch of the West but oh well! I am who I am!)

2. If you were allowed to deploy with your husband to a war zone would you and why?
My husband says he wouldn't let me even if I wanted to (b/c of the danger), so I guess the answer is no. :) But if it was a deployment to a non-combat zone then I would definitely consider it!

3. Have you ever done anything (intentionally, or unintentionally) to embarrass your spouse/significant other in front of his military cohorts?
Besides just my general lack of knowledge about military terms and things, I don't think I've done anything to terrible to embarrass him in front of his military peeps. I'm usually on my best behavior when we're around his coworkers, but I'm SURE I've embarrassed him many times in other circumstances!

4. What is your most irrational fear?
I have a strange (but serious) phobia of lizards, especially geckos. ::::shudder:::: I don't even know where it came from but they make me have mini-panic attacks. It is SO IRRATIONAL and it makes me mad that I am so not in control of myself, so I've decided that this year is the year I'm going to get over this stupid fear. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it but I will do my best to overcome it!

5. If you could only live in one kind of climate for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Somewhere mild. Ideally I would live somewhere with 4 distinct seasons, but where the winters aren't too brutal (though I still want it to snow a couple times a year!). I'm okay with heat, but I'm a wimp in the cold.