Day 6 - August 28, 2010

Another good day in the books...

Breakfast - 1/2 whole wheat english muffin with butter and 1/2 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter, 1 fried egg with 1/2 slice cheddar cheese, 2 slices bacon
Snack - Watermelon slice, 8 cashews
Lunch - Grilled cheese sandwich (sour dough bread, butter, and mozzarella cheese) dipped in 1/3 can tomato soup with 1/2 tbsp light cream cheese...this was SO YUMMY!
Snack - 5 crackers with cheddar cheese, couple sips of Shasta Cola...at a party and did pretty good
Dinner - 2 Tyson chicken strips, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup green beans

We had a busy day getting things done around the house and then a party at 2 pm. I did good at the party considering all the things I could have eaten :) After the party I was feeling pretty yucky with my fibro and just wanted to curl up and sleep the evening away, but instead I made sure to eat a good dinner and meet up with my mom and sister at the track. I took 3 IB Profen beforehand, which I think helped, and we ended up having a good 3.5 mile workout and did the hill 3 times. My calves are still sore from my workout on Thursday and I'm taking a rest day tomorrow. My period should be starting in the morning, too, so I'm just planning to get through Sunday without eating bad.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Yay...Let The Pounds Be Gone!

After 4 days of paying more attention to what I eat and trying to get in more activity, I am down 4 1/2 lbs. WOOHOO! I didn't count the first day because in the evening I went bonkers with the ice cream, but this does count the 7 cookies I ate on Tuesday and the greasy quesadilla I had last night, plus I should be starting my period any day now and feel bloated. Surprised and happy by the weight loss and still focused with staying balanced. It is tempting to get really strict with the diet or working out to get results faster or even taking pills or some other miracle plan to lose the weight, but I am determined to not go that route since it never holds in the end. I want to maintain a balance between being a mommy, working hard for the school district, taking care of my home and husband, enjoying my family and friends, and taking time for myself with planning my food, scheduling time for work outs, and pampering myself every now and then. I feel accomplished this week with doing all of this and also getting results and staying happy the whole time through all the stress and busy life.

How did everyone else's week go? Any new recipes or meal ideas? Feel free to share :)

Day 5 - August 27, 2010

Another pretty good day in the books...

Breakfast - Fried egg with 1/2 slice cheddar cheese
Morning Snack - 1/2 whole wheat english muffin with butter and 1 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
Lunch - Stuffed bell pepper with 2 tbsp light sour cream (last one...still so yummy :)
Afternoon Snack - String cheese, small bag of Cheetos
Dinner - Carb Balance tortilla with 1 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter and 1/2 tbsp honey...I needed something to eat while getting my hair done after work so I didn't come home starving.
Evening Snack - 1/2 cheese quesadilla from Los Roberto's...Jeremy was craving Mexican and Ry wanted a quesadilla so I split it with him.

Today was a busy day. I had a hair appt right after work, but when I got there I got a call that Ry wasn't feeling good. Jeremy picked him up and when I got home around 5 pm Ry was sleeping and fighting a fever. This made the evening change from what was planned. I still hung in there for the most part on my food and I vacuumed the house, which helped since I ddin't get my work out in. I didn't eat ANY sweets and kept my sugars good, plus I got lots of water and fought off a bad headache and sick boy without caving for ice cream, chocolate, or whatever. Feeling good and more important, feeling happy!!

Day 4 - August 26, 2010

So today was a good day, here is what I ate:

Breakfast - Protein shake (1/2 scoop Shakeology mix, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup non fat milk, ice)
Snack - Artichoke dipped in melted butter
Lunch - Stuffed bell pepper with 2 tbsp light sour cream, homemade chocolate chip cookie from coworker's mom (the tiniest homemade cookie you have ever seen :)
Snack - String cheese at work, sugar free/fat free chocolate pudding cup at home to fight off the beginning's of a chocolate craving
Dinner - Stuffed bell pepper, 3 oz chicken breast with sugar free BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup green beans

I don't mention it each day, but I drink at least 8 cups and closer to 12 cups of water a day. I think this is very important for many reasons and highly recommend it :)

Today was a stressful day with a work deadline, but I felt in control and upbeat through it all and didn't have to fight back wanting to eat bad...thank goodness! I did a good 30 minute cardio workout (Power 90 Sweat 1/2 video) at home before my chiropractor appt. and then we spent the night at the softball fields watching the two championship games. I even passed up the ice cream cart and it was no biggy...I love when it is just easy. My fibromyalgia has been flared up all week (I think from stress), but I was much more in control mentally with it. I am still wearing my wrist brace and my right knee is acting up, but I'm not letting it get me down. I am just changing up my workouts around my "injuries" until they pass or deciding to rest instead of workout. Trying to focus on the food aspect more and just maintaining a balance each day with all that happens in my world.

How is everyone else's week going? Any fun plans for the weekend? Have a great day!

Day 3 - August 25, 2010

So I already knew before today started that it was going to be long, stressful, and exhausting, and it didn't disappoint :) We had a late night last night so I was working on 6.5 hours sleep, which is low for me. I shoot for 8 hours, and probably average 7 hours of sleep a night. Anything less than this usually impacts my day quite a bit, but today I was pretty upbeat and ready to take on the day. Here is what I ate:

Breakfast - 1 fried egg with 1/2 slice cheddar cheese
Morning Snack (actually like an early lunch) - 1 stuffed bell pepper with 2 tbsp. light sour cream...SO YUMMY!
Lunch - between 11:30 am & 5:30 pm I lived off of SEVEN chocolate chip cookies and water. I was knee deep in a big, time sensitive project and then work started smelling like fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. I am still in the "zone" and feeling positive about things, but I wasn't going to fight the aroma of the cookies during a time when eating anything else was no where in sight so I caved :) SEVEN times throughout the project (which isn't finished) and then another work meeting. Finally got home around 5:30 pm.
Dinner - Grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar on whole wheat bread dipped in low sodium tomato soup...comfort food that was exactly what I needed.

I have had to wear my wrist brace today after my wrist flared up last night. I'm pretty sure it is my fibromyalgia and that stress induced it. My knee joints and ribs are now sore by the end of the day so I felt it was better to rest tonight instead of working out. Plus, the weather is super humid, but still around 100 degrees so my scheduled outdoor workout probably isn't the best idea. The boys left to visit family so I could go to sleep early...so I'm off to do that...night night!

Day 2 - August 24, 2010

So here is a recap of my day, which went much better than yesterday:

Breakfast - Fried egg with 1/2 slice cheddar cheese, watermelon slice
Morning Snack - String cheese, 15 almonds
Lunch - Carb Balance tortilla with turkey, tomato, onion mixture (from failed Lasagna Rolls :)
Afternoon Snack - 10 mini rice cakes, 3 mini Babe Ruth bars
Dinner - 3 oz. chicken (grilled with sugar free BBQ sauce), artichoke with melted butter

This was such a busy day, but it helped me not have time to be bad with my eating. I did get held up 1 1/2 hours at work, though, so I didn't get a workout in. I went straight home and made stuffed bell peppers while Jeremy BBQ'd chicken and artichokes so we are set for the next three nights. As soon as this was done and the kitchen was cleaned up, we left for Jeremy's championship men's league softball game. Very long, but great day! Work is extra stressful, though, so I hope I can get through it without too much damage since chocolate is my coping method.

This Recipe Didn't Turn Out So Good

I tried a recipe my sister posted on Facebook and it sounded really good. I've made lasagna rolls before and really like them, but I don't still have the recipe. This one sounded similar so I gave it a try and it was not so yummy. The ground turkey, onion, tomato mixture was very yummy and I did salvage it and freeze it for future lunches, but the mixture inside the rolled lasagna noodles was very bland and yucky. The idea is a good one and these would freeze up nicely for meals, but I will have to keep looking for a better recipe.

Lesson learned: not all recipes will turn out, but keep on trying :)

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients


• 4 large bell peppers
• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons House seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with jalapenos
• 1/2 cup chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup beef broth

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Start by cutting the peppers in half lengthwise, leaving the stems intact, and halving them also. Remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers.

Using a hot skillet, saute the ground beef, pork, onion, garlic, and house seasoning together. Saute until onions become translucent. Drain the fat off. Add the rice, cream cheese, sour cream, canned tomatoes, chives, and soy sauce.

Mix well and stuff the mixture into the peppers. Pour the beef broth into a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold all of the peppers. Place the stuffed peppers in the dish, cover with foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes.

Remove the foil and spoon the juice from bottom of the casserole over the top of the peppers. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

These turn out so yummy! There should be more than enough filling so you can freeze half of it. Then you only have to cut the bell peppers in half, fill with the filling, and bake. I love recipes like this! I top my sutffed pepper with sour cream, which is so yummy!

Day 1 - Monday, August 23, 2010

So today has gone okay for a Monday. Here is what I've eaten:

Breakfast - 1/2 whole wheat english muffin with butter and 1 tbsp. reduced fat peanut butter, 1 fried egg with 1/2 slice cheddar cheese

Snack - 9 mini rice cakes, 1 string cheese (made Weight Control oatmeal, but it didn't taste right)

Lunch - Carb Balance tortilla with ground turkey, tomato, onion inside, Jello cup

Afternoon Snack - 1/2 whole wheat english muffin with butter, 8 mini 3 Musketeers candies (my hardest time of day is usually after lunch and before leaving work for the night...plus, Jeremy ate the brown rice I had in the fridge for snack)

By the time I got home I was in a bit of a funk and decided not to do my P90X workout today because I'm pretty sore from my weekend workouts and my back is out of whack. I ate a snack packet of Cheez Its.

I plan to relax the rest of the evening and start fresh tomorrow. Wish me luck :) Hope this Monday treated everyone okay.

Here we go...

So I really meant to start posting nightly last weekend, but I don't really know where last week went :) I'm now ready to start posting every night and being more accountable for what I'm eating and doing each day. This weekend I got in two great workouts so I'm proud of myself for this. I went to the track yesterday morning with my mama and we did approx. 5 miles in 1 h 30 m, which included TEN of the big hills there. This was a huge accomplishment for us! Then today, I did the P90X Kenpo X workout and then abs workout after. I was so not wanting to workout today because our house was really hot, so I was very proud I did it. My eating has been better, but needs work so I'm ready for the challenge tomorrow. I will be posting each night about my day and would love for others to post, too.

How is everyone else doing with their eating and exercise and life in general?

So Far, So Good

So I'm using this week to transition back to eating the way I know I need to and things are going pretty good. I just made a super yummy salad for dinner: romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts, green onions, avocado, roast beef lunch meat, feta cheese, and sunflower seeds with extra virgin olive oil and pepper seasoning. VERY GOOD! So full now and very satisfied. Couldn't imagine eating ice cream if I wanted to :)

I did the P90X Kenpo X workout yesterday followed by abs and then the track with my girlfriend where we walked for an hour. Today I came home and did the P90X Shoulders & Arms and I'm so proud of myself for both days of workouts. I feel good, positive, happy, and sore :)

How is everyone else doing?

Sandwich Thins Pizza

Our pizzas before baking them.

My sandwich thins pizza with sauce, mozz cheese, baby pepperonis, artichoke hearts, and cashews...SO GOOD!

I told Ry to pose with his yummy pepperoni and cheese sandwich thins pizza and this is what I got...after I told him to stop throwing signs...hahaha

I love doing things in the kitchen with my sweet boy and he always has so much fun. This is a great, healthy recipe that is fun, fast, and easy and can be done with the kiddos. Enjoy!

Diet Philosophies

So when it comes to my diet (when I'm being good, which has sure been a while :), I like to follow the low sugar, high fiber and protein philosophy (ie. Belly Fat Cure, South Beach Diet, etc.). There are so many philosophies out there to follow...what are you doing right now with your diet?

I've been consuming so much "junk" the past few months and this is a hard cycle to break. This week I have been/am transitioning back to limiting my sugars to 15 or less a day, my carbs to 100 or less a day, and making sure to get at least 25g of fiber a day. Anyone else in the process of adjusting their diets to feel better, be healthier, and lose weight?

My First Blog Post!!

So this is my first blog ever! I decided to do a blog for a couple reasons: to hold myself accountable, to clear my brain when it is too full of "stuff," and to share what I know and my experiences with others. What I'm hoping for with this blog is interaction from others on the topics I post about. I want to see new recipes (including pictures), tips on living a more balanced life, workout ideas, etc. I am looking forward to interacting with whoever decides to follow my blog. I titled my blog, "Balance, Balance, Balance," for a reason...the last couple years and I'm sure for the rest of my life this is my goal and biggest challenge. Balance between my marriage, being a mom, my work, my health, finances, family, fun time, and alone time. It is a definite challenge, but one I look forward to every day! I also plan to use my blog to post my food intake and workouts daily to keep myself more accountable. Some days won't be pretty and feel free to post about your days, too.

Looking forward to hearing from you and thanks for reading!