Race #3 - Virtual 5K

Have you heard of "virtual races"? It's a race that's hosted by a person or organization that can be run where ever, sometimes WHEN you want!

I registered with a few friends tonight to run the Anywhere 5K on Feb 23-24! This will be race #3 towards my 13 in 2013 goal! I am excited to "race" in an unconventional way.

More menus!

This post is all just meals for the last few days! I am feeling great!! I think I want to start lowering the amount of carbs in our meals (I still feel like we rely on them A LOT) but other than that, I'm really happy with how things are going! There are some "unclean" items in our meals, but as I've mentioned, we're working TOWARDS being completely clean but I also want to use up some of our pantry items that are relatively healthy still.

FRIDAY:

Breakfast:Turkey & egg turnover
Am snack: missed because I was at the Y
Lunch: 17 beans soup; 2 clementines
PM Snack: 1c chopped broccoli, 2Tbsp salsa, 1/4c Greek yogurt
Dinner: Roasted turkey, baked sweet potato, sautéed sugar snap peas & homemade cranberry sauce - DELICIOUS!!
Late Snack: cheese stick
Also had red wine.




SATURDAY:
Breakfast: Breakfast: 2 slices CA protein bread + 2Tbsp natural pb
AM Snack: 4 Ak Mak crackers & 1 egg white
Lunch: 17 beans soup; 2 clementines
PM Snack: coffee
Dinner: steak roll ups, roasted red potatoes/peppers, curried cauliflower.
Late snack: 2 clean eating pb/choc cookies

Red wine



SUNDAY:
Breakfast: 3.5oz Greek yogurt, 1c very cherry frozen berries & 1tbsp flaxseed
Am snack: 1/2 grapefruit, 10 almonds.
Lunch: ww wrap with 3 oz turkey, 1/4 avocado & .5oz pepper jack cheese
PM Snack: 10 carrots, 10 almonds
Dinner: whole wheat fusilli mixed with zucchini, peppers & onions in marinara. Chicken. Salad.





MONDAY:
Breakfast: apple cinnamon steel cut oats
AM Snack: turkey & egg turnover
Lunch: Fusilli leftovers.
PM Snack: got too busy & forgot!!!
Dinner: Tosca Reno's pulled pork poblano verde on whole wheat wraps. Tosca Reno's Spanish rice. Homemade guacamole.
Late PM Snack: Vanilla fruit smoothie.

Current Stats - January + 13in2013

I'm starting fresh with a new stats chart.  I don't want to compare to where I was this time last year at all.  My physical health is completely different and I don't want to get hung up on where I ~was~. This time I need to focus entirely on ~where I am going~.

So here's my new chart (well, same chart, just new data :-) 

I will try to update this once a month. I have had my body fat tested at the YMCA with a Bioelectric Impedance Analysis. They have a handheld one that I can request to use any time there is a trainer in the fitness area. I had it done about mid-November and my body fat was 26.4%.  The trainer did tell me that if I hadn't eaten breakfast that day, but did this recent time, that would be enough to throw it off. I was pretty angry that it had gone UP even though I have been strength training regularly for 6 weeks!

I also signed up to do #13in2013. 13 races this year. I have a pretty good game plan and am already registered for my first two (yay!) but there's a lot more races to plan!! Thankfully (for my wallet) the hosts are having six free virtual races over the year, so I won't have to worry about 13 entrance fees, which was my ONLY hesitation when contemplating signing up! 

Clean eating is going fabulously. My kiddos are even asking to eat the foods I've set aside as our snacks. My first instinct is always "no! That's OUR stuff!" until I remember - the WHOLE POINT of this is to get my whole family HEALTHY! :-) If my kids want grapefruit and almonds for a snack - OF COURSE they can have it! 

I will keep posting interesting recipes that we're finding too. There is SUCH a wealth of information! I admit, I am still planning every last meal and morsel because I'm so much better with a plan. I don't reach for any old thing when I know what I'm supposed to have!

Clean Eating: Days 2-4

People keep asking me what I'm eating as we're starting this new lifestyle.  Here's our menu, to the crumb, for the last few days.

TUESDAY:

Breakfast: greek yogurt with flax & berries.

AM snack: grapefruit & 8 almonds

Lunch: ww wrap with 2T natural pb, 1 banana (although a Munchkin stole half of mine!) and 2 stalks of celery

PM snack: carrot sticks & 12 raw cashews

Dinner: Was delicious!! A big salad & 17 bean & barley soup (made from a bag of beans from Trader Joe's!!)

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast: 2 slices California protein bread &1Tbsp smuckers natural pb

AM snack: 1/2c cottage cheese & 15 grapes

Lunch: leftover 17 bean soup & 10 carrot sticks

PM snack: 4 Ak Mak crackers & hard boiled egg white.

Dinner: serving of Penne with chicken sausage, tomatoes & spinach. Salad.

Late Snack: we were still starving so we each had 1/2c lowfat blueberry kefir.

THURSDAY:

Breakfast: 2 slices California protein bread &1Tbsp smuckers natural pb .

AM snack: 1 rye crisp bread & string cheese.

Lunch: leftovers from dinner last night - pasta.

PM snack: Vanilla Fruit Smoothie.

Dinner: Tuna steaks with braised fennel & carrots. Grilled zucchini. Brown jasmine rice.

Late Snack: 1/2c lowfat blueberry Kefir with 1Tbsp flax

Prep & Day 1-ish

So I spent today, the last day of 2012, making this:

easier to navigate. I am dragging my husband into this lifestyle with me, so I figure the least I can do is to make it as quick and easy as possible for him to follow when he goes back to work on Wednesday. 

I made this dry erase board (it's not pretty but it serves it's purpose) so that he knows what to grab from the fridge for his snacks and lunch at work. 

Then I prepackaged carrots and snacks. The bags on the right contain AkMak crackers and a hard boiled egg or a Wasa Rye crisp bread and a string cheese. 

I also replaced our Christmas bowl of candy with this bowl full of portioned sunflower seeds, raw cashews and raw almonds.  This should also make thing easier - grabbing proportioned instead of a handful of nuts could prevent us from overeating!

We did pretty well today and followed our eating plan to the letter! 

Breakfast: Turkey & Egg turnover (couldn't find uncured ham without added sugar!) & 2 clementines. 

AM snack: 15 raw cashews & 1/2 cup strawberries

Lunch: WW wrap with 3oz turkey, 1oz sharp white cheddar cheese, 1/4 avocado and a handful of lettuce. Apple.

PM Snack: Vanilla Fruit smoothie (1 c milk, 1/4c protein powder, 1/2c blueberries, 1 sm banana) - just a note. I LOATHE smoothies but this, this was edible! I almost had a moment where I almost liked it!

Almost.

Dinner we had planned to have heavy apps (read: UNCLEAN) for dinner to celebrate New Year's Eve. We did. I ate some cookies and drank moscato. But tomorrow AM we're back to it. And hopefully I will be hitting the gym to start out 2013 on the right foot!! 

Happy New Year!

2013: Clean Eating

After the beach, hubby and I agree we've just kind of given up. We've been eating and drinking whatever we please, not focusing on the goals we had for ourselves and letting ourselves get to a bad place. 

It all ends tomorrow! 

After doing a lot of research and having a few friends who have moved to a clean eating lifestyle, we've decided to give it a try.  I can't buy into just throwing away everything in my current pantry, so we will be working through that (mostly pasta, white flour, etc) by mixing it into the "new" stuff. 

I spent the better part of 2 days pouring over Clean Eating Magazine, He and She Eat Clean, The Gracious Pantry and random Pinterest sites. I found meal plans, different "rules" at every site and all kinds of different recipes. 

Saturday my family and I set out to shop for our new clean lifestyle. We started at Trader Joe's. 

I picked up: 

whole wheat pizza dough (for the ham & cheese turnovers)

whole wheat pasta (fusilli and penne) 

chicken sausages 

California Protein bread

whole wheat mini pitas

quinoa

Israeli cous cous

fennel bulbs

raw cashews

raw sunflower seeds

frozen mixed berries x 3

frozen tuna steaks

brown jasmine rice

Ak Mak crackers

17 bean soup mix 

By the end of my TJ's trip, I was COMPLETELY overwhelmed. Reading labels, trying to remember all the "rules" I read.... 

Then we headed straight to Whole Foods. There I picked up: 

Kefir (although I found it MUCH cheaper and the same brand at Aldi today!)

Sprouted grain hamburger buns

English muffins

Unsweetened coconut flakes

Wasa Rye Crisps

After those two stores, I was WIPED OUT! I was frazzled and overwhelmed at the thought of what I was supposed to be doing.  

I came home, regrouped and updated my grocery list. Today, with fresh eyes, I headed to Aldi to find the remainder of my list. 

We picked up: 

blackberries

strawberries

zucchini

frozen corn

turkey breasts (we will be smoking these tomorrow and using it instead of lunchmeat from now on)

celery

clementines

Kefir

cottage cheese

feta

parmesan cheese

ground chicken breasts

sirloin steaks

grapes

grapefruit

red onions

stoplight peppers

(highlighted foods I would love to ease out of our diets in the next few months!)

SO after spending a small fortune on groceries, I sat down to meal plan the next two weeks.  The biggest challenge for me is going to be, hands down, eating 5-6 times a day. I am the queen of waking up, having some coffee, heading to the gym for my 2hrs of workout, having lunch, snacking through the day and then everything goes downhill from there! 

I spent close to 2 hours today looking at meal plans and plotting out every bite I will take for the next two weeks.  I'm sure I will make some tweaks here and there, but this is my blueprint! 

This will definitely be an adventure for us. I am not FORCING this on my kids, although to a degree they will follow it because I cook. :-)  My hubby, though, is on board. Both of us are sick of feeling "gross" and ready to be the healthiest parents we can be!

I will be quitting processed sugar, but allowing fruit and allowing natural sugars as well (honey, molasses) in moderation. I am trying to get to a place where we are eating 5 or less ingredients, but that will come. 

I met with the circuit class teacher that I LOVE a few weeks ago and worked out with her. I wanted her to evaluate what I do and what I can improve. Her suggestions to me were to do cardio for 30-60 minutes at least 5 days/week and to do 5 min of ab work every other day. I haven't started to implement that (we are SO out of routine with my husband home on vacation and my daughter not in school!) but it's my plan starting Thursday!

So here's my (anticipated) plan: 

Mon: Arm/back lifting routine, cardio plus class (30m), circuit class (45m)

Tues: Ab routine, Yoga (1hr,15m)

Wed: Leg lifting routine, cardio plus class (30m), circuit class (45m)

Thurs; Spin class (55m)

Fri: Off

Sat: Long run

Sun: Off

I registered for my third half marathon this week.  I will be running the Go! St. Louis half marathon the first weekend in April. Excited to be training again!! I am going to do it right this time - getting in my long runs come hell or high water!!  I am hoping that my clean eating will aid in my running and I will get faster. My goal time is between 2hr and 2hr15min. 

I will post soon with my updated stats. I can tell you I'm up - WAY up - in my weight. :( All the working out in the world couldn't counteract the food and booze I've ingested in the last three months. I've fully earned my new measurements, but don't worry about me - it's coming off and it'll come off FAST, I will see to it!

Starting over.

Starting the first week in January, I'll be back. I'm in a disappointing place right now, but I have big plans for myself & my family!

The holidays have been, in a word, indulgent. I have indulged in time with my family, activities we don't do all the time, and mostly, food & drink.

But there is no sense in holding on to the choices that have been made. I am going to head forward on a new journey! I am hoping to have a few friends guest post & share their amazing success stories. I am hoping you'll join me for this new chapter!!

I will start January with a new stats & game plan post. I still haven't worked the specifics out yet but I'll have it by then :)