Fruity Vanilla Protein Shake + a Decent Run!

Happy Friday everyone!!  I love love love Fridays!!

Well, I was able to go on a decent run today!  Yay!  I was so sad about how crappy my last run was that I was anxious (and a little nervous!) to go again and redeem myself!

My kids didn’t have school today, so I was able to leave my little ones home (no jogger for me!)  I ran just over 4 miles, but I don’t know my pace because the battery on my Garmin was dead. 😦  I felt good most of the time though and really tried to push myself.  The weather was perfect, in fact I was even a little HOT!  Woo hoo!

While I was running, I was listening to the song Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson.  I LOVE that song!  In fact, I love all her songs!  They are all so motivational and fabulous to run to.  Love her.

This particular song is a great one to exercise to.  My instructor on Thursday nights always plays this song during class and it makes me just want to push a little lottle bit more. 😉  So, for your listening pleasure…..here ya go…..

When I got home from my run, I made a yummy protein shake!!  I got the idea for this recipe from my friend, Sheree (thanks Sheree!!)  It was so good.  Here’s the recipe:

Fruity Vanilla Protein Shake

1 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk (or liquid of your choice)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2 Orange
1/2 C. Frozen Berries
1 T. Ground Flax Seed
a drop or two of vanilla extract
2 handfuls Baby Spinach
6-7 ice cubes (more or less if you like!)

Throw everything except the ice into the blender.

 

Mix well.
Add ice and mix again!

Yum!  This shake was huge!  I was able to fill this cup twice and then some!  It was very very tasty.  Reminded me of a strawberry milkshake.  Too bad the spinach ruins the aesthetics!  LOL!  If the spinach wasn’t in there, this would be a beautiful shade of pink.  It was still so good though!

Well, there ya go.  I told you I was going to make my version of the Cheesecake Factory’s Pear Blue Cheese flatbread.  Well I did, and they were the bomb!  I will post the recipe a little later on today since this post is already long enough!!

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!!!!!  🙂

Livin’ the Low Carb Life!

Well, I have successfully completed day 2 of my little low-carb diet!

Yay!

It hasn’t been easy, but it really hasn’t been too hard either (I know, my opinion may change in a few weeks!)

Over the weekend, I wrote out my diet “plan” for the upcoming week.  I basically chose 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches to switch between and then chose a dinner for each night.  I also wrote down several snack options.

It’s really helped me to have a “plan.”  That way, I’m not stuck wondering what to eat, especially when I’m starving!

I also made sure my cupboards, pantry, and fridge were stocked!

I’m really liking the “rules” of this diet.  You can have one “low-carb” item every 5 hours.  The low-carb item has to have 5 or less Net Carbs (Total Carbohydrates minus fiber grams=Net Carbs).  I’ve basically been switching between a low-carb tortilla or a low-carb slice of bread.

I really like these tortillas. They are HUGE and very filling (high fiber, high protein). They don't taste awesome, but they're not bad. I buy these in bulk at Costco or in smaller packs at Walmart.

These tortillas are freaking awesome. They aren't as big as the La Tortilla Factory ones, but they taste really really good. They are very expensive though! $4.50 for this pack of 10!! Yikes! I bought these at Walmart...I'm hoping to find them cheaper somewhere else.

Oh, FYI both of these tortillas equal out to be 6 Net Carbs a piece.  The author of the book recommends ripping off part of it to make it 5 or less.  I doubt 6 Net Carbs would make much of a difference, but I’m following her advice anyway.  Quite anal, I know.

You can buy this bread anywhere. It's great. Each slice is 5 Net Carbs

There are also a few “free” foods that you can eat as much as you like (some of them contain small amounts of carbs too).  Some of the free foods are meat, eggs (more egg whites than yolks), cheese (low-fat preferred), peanut butter (all natural preferred), lite Cottage Cheese, Veggies, etc.

So, in case you’re interested, here is what I’ve been eating the past couple days…

Breakfast Option #1:
Breakfast Burrito on a low-carb tortilla…yum!

1 whole egg, 3 egg whites, green pepper, onion, green beans and salsa...all on a ripped tortilla!

 Breakfast Option #2:
Scrambled Eggs w/ low-carb Ketchup and a slice of low-carb bread topped with Natural Peanut Butter (sprinkled w/ a little Truvia).

I'm really liking this Heinz low-carb ketchup. It is only 1 carb and tastes great! I didn't use too much, so I wasn't too concerned about the extra carb (serving size is 1 T. and I think I used a tsp.)

I’ve had the same lunch both days…

Tuna fish with pickles and a little lite Mayo/Miracle Whip and mustard wrapped up in a low-carb tortilla.

Yummy!

FYI, the other lunch options I planned for are deli meat/cheese/veggie wrap or egg salad wrap.  I just made a bunch of tuna fish, so I ate it both days.  Simplify. 😉

Dinner Day One:  Taco Salad!
I love this one because ALL of my kids LOVE tacos and it’s so easy for Kev and I to make it into a taco salad or have it on a low-carb tortilla.

Spinach, Ice Berg Lettuce, Taco Meat, a little cheddar cheese, tomatoes, salsa, lite sour cream and lite cottage cheese.

 I did have one little snag with this meal.  As I was getting ready to prepare this, I looked at my Taco Seasoning and realized it had 4 carbs per serving!  I really didn’t want to “splurge” on TACO SEASONING of all things!  So, I hopped on the internet and found a recipe to make my own (sugar-free) taco seasoning.  It only took me 5 minutes or so and I quadrupled the recipe so I will have it ready for next time!

Here’s the recipe in case any of you are interested:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix everything up and store in an airtight container.
BTW, I didn’t have any red pepper flakes, so I omitted them.  It tasted great!

I’m sure you all know how to make taco meat, but just in case….

Brown 1 lb. of hamburger, drain.  Add 3 T of Taco Seasoning and mix in.  Add 3/4 C. water and simmer for 5-10 minutes until water is gone.  Voila!  There you go!

Here's my little jar of Taco Seasoning

Dinner Day Two:
Omelets with Turkey Bacon and a side of low-carb toast topped with Smart Balance spread.

This was a great easy meal. I made waffles, eggs and turkey bacon for the kids (which they were very happy about!) and Kev and I had omelets!  Yum!

1 whole egg, 3 egg whites, green pepper, onion, olives, ham and cheese topped with homemade salsa! Yummm!

Here’s some of the snacks I’ve been eating…

Celery with Natural Peanut Butter and Almond Butter

Protein Shakes....using pre or post workouts....yum!

I had the Chocolate Peanut Butter (minus the banana) and the Almond Joy Shake!  So so so yummy!

This is a staple snack...nuts and string cheese! I buy the big 'ol bags of nuts from Costco. I buy Almonds and Pecans and they have nothing added....just nuts!

 There are also a few other snacks that I haven’t taken pictures off….deviled eggs, cheese crisps, lite cottage cheese mixed with a little Truvia and cinnamon and small spoonfuls of peanut butter.

Well, that is all folks!

Oh, I went to my favorite Boot Camp class last night!  LOVED it!

I also went on a 5 mile run today and it wasn’t too good.

First off, I was pushing the double jogger with both kids and it felt like it was 500 pounds!

My legs also felt like they were each 500 pounds!   Weird???

ALSO, I am stressing because my IT band has been buggin’ for about a month and it’s not getting better!

Auughhh!

I’m supposed to be running a half marathon in less then a month too!

Stress!

It started hurting near the end of our big relay race, but it wasn’t too bad.

Then, I ran that little 5k and it killed after that.

I don’t think know I didn’t warm up adequately for that and I just took off running and ran really fast (for me!)

So, since then I can only run about 2-2 1/2 miles and then it starts hurting.

I’ve been trying to chill and I really haven’t run on it all that much.  I was hoping it would get better

So, today I was so sad when it started hurting again.  I decided to just keep running on it (because I need to!)  It’s been killing me all night now.

Dang….

I hope it gets better soon!  I’m planning to run on Thursday morning.  We’ll see how it goes!

Well, that is all!  Happy low-carbing! 😉

Excuses, excuses!

Are you “guilty” of or have you ever been “guilty” of any of the following….

• Avoiding getting your picture taken or hiding behind someone in a picture because you don’t like how you look.
• Avoiding the gym because you’re embarrassed about how you look.
• Not running/exercising outside because you’re embarrassed about how you look.
• Avoiding get-togethers with friends because you’ve “let yourself go”….
• Hanging onto an old pair of jeans that are too small because “someday” you will fit into them again.
• Not getting on the scale because, well….reality bites.
• Eating a whole (insert favorite indulgent food here) because you’re stressed, tired, depressed….etc.
• Giving up on trying to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, etc. because it’s too hard and the results aren’t happening fast enough.

Guess what, I have been guilty of ALL of those!!!

And, it’s not fun.

If you are guilty of any of those (or other similar things), I’m here to say….

STOP IT!

*****************

If you are not happy with how you look, your weight, your lifestyle, health, etc….you can change it!!!

It is freakin’ hard and it is a lifetime commitment….but it is so worth it!

Btw, I’m giving myself this pep talk too! 😉

As you well know, I am not a pro….

at all…

I have to motivate and recommit myself

every…

single…

day…

*******************

I gotta tell you a (not so) funny story….

Soon after I had my last baby (in April, 2010), I was anxious to get back into shape.  My baby was about 6 weeks old and I decided I wanted to start running again.

I was SOOOO out of shape that I could barely run a mile (and it was a very slow mile)!

Well, one day I was out running the block around my neighborhood.  I was wearing my baggy capri sweats and a big oversized t-shirt because it was the only “exercisy” clothes that fit me

I did not feel cute….at all.

I ran past this amazingly cute runner lady who was wearing a very cute matchy running outfit and looked very fit.

As she ran past me, she gave me a thumbs up and said, “You’re doin’ great!”

K….

I know she was trying to be nice….

But I thought, “Dang, do I really look that pathetic!???”

Dang.

I appreciated her encouragement. 🙂

****************

I gotta tell ya….I gained a ton of weight with my last pregnancy.

It was not pretty.

I think my face was bigger than my belly.

In my defense, I have to say that I felt pretty grody (yes, I still use that word) at least half of my pregnancy.  My motivation to eat healthy and exercise regularly was pretty much zilch.   Also, people tell you things like, “Don’t let yourself get too hungry or you’ll feel worse”, or “Eat something and it will make you feel better”, etc.

Well, I heeded that advice.

A lot.

And, I got huge…..to the tune of ~55 pounds or so!  Yikes!

I am not a cute pregnant lady.

******************

So, after I gave birth I was very anxious to get back into shape.

I worked very hard, ate very well, and exercised regularly.

In case you’re curious, I thought I would post a picture.  My brother, sister and I ran a 5K about 3 1/2 months after I gave birth.

I was very poofy.

Here ya go…

Me, 3 1/2 months postpartum with my very skinny brother and sister...oh and I'm wearing Kev's running shirt because it fit!

When my baby was about 4 months old, I still had about 15-20 pounds to lose so my sister and I challenged each other to not have “treats” for a month.

I did it and lost 8-9 pounds.

Then, I started a 6 week “healthy challenge” with a bunch of friends and random people.

I lost another 7-8 pounds and started to look like my normalish self.

Well, that “healthy challenge” ended last November and I haven’t lost any more weight since then!

Auuughhh!

I lost all my baby weight, but I still want to lose 15-20 pounds!

It is very frustrating.

I think I’ve gained and lost the same 5 pounds about 5-6 times since then!

I think I’ve been gaining muscle and I know “they” say that muscle weighs more than fat…

Blah, blah, blah

I just want to see some results!!

**************

However, something that I’ve learned first hand is….it is all about what you eat!!

It seems like I can exercise until the cows come home, but if I’m not watching what I eat, I won’t notice anything.

It isn’t until I clean up my diet (for an extended period of time) that I notice any change.

I’ve heard that weight loss is 20% exercise and 80% diet….I believe it!

I also believe that weight loss is 100% freaking hard!!!

It is so worth it though.

I know that after I had my baby and I was 20, 30, 40, 50 pounds heavier than I am right now…I did not feel good about how I looked.  It was on my mind every day when I woke up and every night when I went to bed.

That is no way to live.

So, if you want to lose weight, get healthier, get more energy, whatever….

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!

Stop making excuses and get to work!!

Time is tickin’

I’m not giving up….

I’m going to keep on pluggin’ away until I lose these last 15 or so pounds

I am also going to commit to live a (squishy) healthy lifestyle…forever.

There…that is my pep talk for the day.

********************

I have so many recipes I want to put up here…I just need time to do it….

So, here are a few little snacks I enjoyed yesterday…

Pre-run....Banana w/ natural peanut butter....YUM!

Post-run....Fruity Spinach Protein Shake (w/o Spinach because I was out!) I love my little "Chill Pipe" straw that I got at Maverick for a buck!

Peanut Butter Banana (with a drizzle of Agave) Sandwich on Oroweat Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin w/ a side of cherry tomatoes....yummy! Do you love my Spiderman plate??

Afternoon snack: Grapes with Cashew Clusters...Sorry I could not for the life of me get this picture to focus!

Cashew Clusters from Costco...yum!

That’s all the pictures I took yesterday.  Last night was crazy, so dinner was baby shower food (from a baby shower I was at)….veggies & dip, fruit & dip, crackers & cheese.  Yum.  I know all the dips and cheese aren’t healthy, but I tried not to overdo it.  I did have a small handful or two of Skittles too.  Yum!

Well, ’till next time!!  Keep on keepin’ on….