Clean Eating

Happy Easter!! I spent Easter eating way too much candy and paid for it with a stomach ache all night on Sunday...I wont be eating half a bag of jelly beans again anytime soon. This morning I woke up at 4:45 am to go to TRX class in Salem MA. Marjan was the instructor and she is awesome! She is going to be my bootcamp trainer which starts on Monday! I am so excited! We will meet two times a week for 8 weeks! Which means two very very early mornings for me! It will be worth it though. Part of the 8 week bootcamp is a meal plan full of clean eating. I actually started it on Monday and have been feeling really good. Very satisfied and not snacking at all at night which is always a major problem for me!

So this morning I started off with 1/2 a cup of oats, 1/2 an apple, and two hard boiled eggs. When I got home from TRX I had string cheese and a 100 calorie pack of almonds. Lunch was a small sweet potato, 6 oz of salmon and 2 cups of greens. Mid afternoon I had a Greek yogurt, then asparagus wrapped with deli sliced chicken breast. Dinner was 6 oz of chicken and 2 cups of greens! For dessert I had some jello to satisfy my sweet tooth!

I'm really hopeful I get some great results from this bootcamp. Ive been in a plateau for awhile now and think this will bring me to the next level.

Tomorrow is 6:30 am Yoga so I am off to bed! These early mornings are really tough on me! Goodnight all!

Day 23.

Earth Day!

Today is earth day! Remember to use your reusable bags, cups, and recycle! I started my day off with a 4 mile run outside instead of driving to the gym to run on the treadmill. After my run I came home and had my amazing Cocoa Beach cereal.....I really think I have been eating that everyday now. haha I got myself and Olivia ready for our coffee date in Newburyport with Auntie Jenn, Jacob, Grammy, Auntie Nancy, Nikolette and Sue! We went to Plum Island Coffee Roaster and I am addicted! I wish it wasn't a good 20 minutes to get there......It was so adorable! I can see myself heading there or an hour of me time very frequently. I ordered a Ice Coffee with a shot of Chocolate Chip cookie! It was honestly one of the best coffees Ive ever had! The little coffee shop overlooks the water and is the perfect place to get work done or just relax. Along with their coffees and teas they has smoothies, granola, oatmeal, sandwiches, and an array of organic baked goods! I forgot my camera today but the website has some great pics! http://www.plumislandcoffeeroasters.com/

When I got home Olivia, Jacob and I went to Lowes to buy a tree for Earth Day! We chose a peach tree and while Jake napped Olivia and I planted it. We had a lot of fun.

Dinner was mixed veggies with grilled Salmon. It turned out really yum. I was still craving something sweet when I was finished so I made a banana boat.....A sliced banana with peanut butter, and chocolate chips melted. Amazing, and totally hit the spot!

Tomorrow morning is a yoga morning, so I am off to bed.

Enjoy your Saturdays all!

xox

Day 18

TRX, Great Harvest Bread Co, and Trader Joes!

4:30 am came so quickly today! I dragged myself out of bed and headed to Salem MA (About a 40 minute drive) to meet my boot camp trainer Marjan at Yogi Satki. When I got there I was weighed in, measure and had my body fat measured. I didn't get the results yet but when I do I will post them! Marjan was great, she seems like she will be an amazing trainer! She has trained Miss Massachusetts! This wasn't a boot camp training session just a regular TRX class. I figured if I had to drive down for the measurements why not stay for a class to see what she was like. My arms are still sore and shaky, but I left feeling really excited and motivated for boot camp to start!

On my way home I stopped at Dunkin Donuts since I was in desperate need of a coffee! I got a french vanilla with skim and splenda. It really hit the spot today, not sure if it was because I was so in need of it or because it really was a better brew than normal!

When I got home I had a bowl of Kashi Cocoa Beach cereal with almond silk milk. I had made overnights oats in a jar the night before and totally forgot about them so I'm hoping they are still ok for tomorrows breakfast!

After breakfast Olivia and I met up with Auntie Jenn, Jacob and Grammy and headed to Great Harvest Bread Company in Nashua NH. OH MY GOODNESS AMAZINGNESS!! I got a loaf of the whole wheat bread, my mom and sister got the chocolate ciniman crunch (which was to die for, but I knew I would eat the entire loaf) I also brought home the hubster a Turkey sandwich since he loves sandwiches so much. It seriously looked amazing and he said it was! After that we stopped by Trader Joes on the way home. I got lots of fish and nuts. I must have been in the mood for fish since that was my dinner of choice!

I made baked Salmon, asparagus, and sweet potato fries. It was so good and I'm already thinking about having it again next week!

So bootcamp starts soon and Marjan sent us our diet plans (which is going to be pretty tough for me) its a lot of food though and very doable. I just need to prepare! Speaking of preparing, does anyone know where I would be able to by deer and Buffalo meat? Thanks for the help! Anyways this girl is off to bed....6:30 am Vinyasa Yoga tomorrow! Goodnight all!

Day 16

Weekend Fun!

OK, so its no secret my husband works an insane amount of hours and usually work 6-7 days a week! I guess that's the price we pay for me to be a stay at home Mommy! That being said when he has days off we make the most out of them! This week he had Monday off, so when he got out of work on Sunday night we went to dinner and a movie! The Ale House in Amesbury MA was our dinner place of choice! It was our first time there and I was so overwhelmed with the delicious menu. I had looked at the menu online and decided to take a run because it looked that delicious so I knew I would be having a major cheat meal! Luckily the new shorts I got on clearance at Target for $7 (pictured above) really gave me the extra motivation I needed to run!

We started dinner off with nachos....AMAZING! Although I can't say I've ever dislike a plate of nachos! For my main meal I got the baked haddock. It was so good. I'm normally not a fish person but my husband told me to try something new! I was so glad I did! Adam (my husband) got stuffed shrimp. They looked amazing, and he ate them before I had a chance to even ask for a bite! Stuffed shrimp is so not my husband...he's normally a huge sandwich type of guy. We really splurged and got dessert tonight. We got fried fritters, the were like little fried dough french fries with a caramel and chocolate dipping sauce! My mouth is watering just thinking about them! I really wish I remembered my camera for this dinner, but I'm sure we will be going back!

After dinner we went and saw adjustment bureau. It was really good, and Matt Damon isn't too bad to look at! :)

Monday morning was a lazy one! Adam started his morning off with Lucky charms and a sliced banana....he is still such a kid at heart. I opted for the Kashi Cocoa Beach...ok maybe I'm a kid at heart too. I needed my morning chocolate kick!

I went to Bikram yoga at 7pm it was a nice change of pace but I don't think I drank enough water during the night! I felt dizzy when I left but quickly hydrated and ate something and was feeling a lot better!

This morning I started my day off with Yoga at the Yoga Tree and it was fantastic as usual! tt was cold and rainy today and my mood was definitely cold and rainy too. I sighed up for a TRX class for tomorrow morning and will be having my weigh in and fat analysis done for the boot camp I am starting on May 2nd! So excited for that.....and on that note I have to be up around 4:30 so this girl is off to bed!

Goodnight all!

Weekends...

I started the day off with my my Kashi Cocoa Beach cereal with Silk light Vanilla milk! My all time favorite breakfast, there is no better way to start off the day.

Then Olivia and I headed up north to the camp while poor daddy worked some overtime. I knew this was going to be tough and probably a diet fail since my Dad is known for having yummy treats and taking his girls out to lunch/dinner. On the way I had a Luna Bar which was delicious and helped hold me over since we were still driving around lunchtime. When we got there Dad suggested a local very very yummy Chinese restaurant for lunch.....Ummmm yes of course I would kill for some Chinese food right now! So off we went! I cant remember the last time Ive had Chinese food so I will count this as my indulgence for the week. We got the luncheon plates which are thankfully smaller portions than ordering a bunch of appetizers and meals. I left not feeling stuffed but satisfied. I know I probably ate way more calories than I should have but I didn't feel horrible.

We had a great day with Grammy and Grandpa, Liv loves spending time with them (and so do I) We headed home early enough for us to beat Daddy home so I could start dinner...an amazing pizza I had been dying to make! I actually got the idea from one of my favorite local pizza places Krugers. I made a bbq chicken pizza using the dough I had made from scratch the day before. It turned out great! I mixed bbq sauce, pasta sauce, chicken and onions and let that simmer for awhile. Then layered it on my pizza crust. Topped it off with some goat cheese, a little mozzarella, and spinach. It turned out delicious! The middle of the crust didn't get as crunchy as I like but other than that it was perfect!

Now I'm off to enjoy some wine and watch the movie " Country Strong" with my hubs!

Goodnight all

xox

Day 12 (I know I missed a few days of posts....so sorry!)

Rainy days

Today was cold dreary and rainy. We hung in for most of the day but my evening was highly productive!!

I started my morning off with some Kashi Cocoa Beach cereal and light Vanilla Silk milk. Of course I had my coffee...mocha ice with skim and splenda! mmmm that can brighten any rainy day! Lunch was spinach and feta pizza with a spinach and feta salad with light balsamic. It was delicious, really satisfying. I had a luna bar for an afternoon snack before heading over to my parents for dinner.

Diner tonight was fabulous! Mom made salmon, zucchini, and kale, with some rice. It was so delicious. After dinner Mom and Dad watched Olivia for me so I could go get a pedicure!! I needed it so much and it was so relaxing. I stopped and got myself a coffee on the way. While I was there I decided why not have my eyebrows waxed too! On the way back I stopped and went tanning then headed home to pick up my Livvie girl! She was ready for bed so we headed home and she fell asleep in the 10 minute car ride home.

After I cleaned up I decided I should finish the night off right by Shredding. So I did, then showered and got myself ready for 6:30am yoga tomorrow! My favorite way to start the day! I made myself a fruit bowl to have before bed just to take off the edge of my hunger.

Now I am off to bed since I have an early wake up!

Goodnight bloggers :)

Day 9.

Day 8.....Week 2

Yesterday was a yoga morning, which makes me a very happy girl! I didn't fall asleep until 12:30 the night before though and was up at 6 to get to Yoga in time which resulted in a dragging ass type of day.

We made a trip to Trader Joes and I got some Tuna Steaks, Organic popcorn with Olivia oil, an orchid to bring on spring, and a lavender plant!

Later that night all I wanted to do was go to bed or at least get a nap in. I decided to go to the gym instead, I just ran 1 mile and then did the stair climber for 20 minutes. Not one of my better workout sessions but it was better than nothing.

I didn't even do the 30 day shred last night because I just wanted to lay down in my bed. I was in bed by 10 and slept until 8:30 but boy did I need it!

Today is rainy and cold and I'm being lazy and lounging around in sweats! I think today might be a stay in day and I will shred later tonight when the little div (Olivia) goes to sleep!

Last night after the gym I made a delicious blueberry smoothie...it was fab and hit the spot!

Day 8.

Guess who can do a pushup??? A REAL pushup.....this girl!

Today was one of those days that I woke up, ate, ate some more, and just couldn't stop. I had major regret by the end of the day but decided to do some grocery shopping and then do the 30 day shred. I'm feeling a little better now that the fridge is stocked up with healthy foods and I got a workout in.

I started the morning out with a Mocha Frappachino Light from Starbucks, then a bowl of Kashi cereal with skim milk. I had a luna bar for a mid morning snack. We were rushing out the door to head to my parents house at lunchtime so I grabbed a piece of chicken and almonds. That was probably my biggest mistake and I was hungry about an hour later so I made a salad at my parents with some more almonds on top. Then I had an orange....and a couple of pretzels, and a bit of Olivia's cookie. When I got home I was hardly hungry for dinner but had a piece of chicken and a slice of whole wheat bread.

We needed groceries badly and I know when the fridge is empty it leads to my bad eating. So I loaded a grumpy two year old into the ca and headed to Shaws. Olivia behaved so well and I was so happy! I got lots of fruit, fresh veggies, and organic foods. When I got home I felt the need to try a few Cinnamon and sugar almonds, a 100 calorie bag of popcorn, and some of the fruit. I was cutting it all up for the week and couldn't help myself!

Once I finally had all the groceries put away and the house cleaned up a bit I decided I should Shred since I hadn't really worked out at all today! Guess who did 18 REAL pushups....not the girlie ones, actual pushups...This girl!!! I am really getting stronger! Its so nice to see real results.

Now I am off to bed since I have 6:30am Yoga tomorrow!

Day 7.

p.s. I took a sneak peak at the scale today.......157.6! 3 pounds lost :)

Baby Jacobs Baptism day!

Today I woke up early and ran 4 miles outside! The sun was shining and air was surprisingly warm!! It was one of those days that I felt like I could just run forever.

When I got back from my run i Had a bowl of my favorite Kashi Cocoa Beach cereal with skim milk since we are all out of almond milk. My Nephew and godsons baptism was today so I went to pickup a coffee and drop off the homemade (frozen crockpot made) meatballs I had slaved over! On my way I treated myself to a mocha iced with skim and splenda! I was about ready for a snack on the way back since it was almost 11 so I had a Peanut Butter brownie nut luna bar. When I got home I had a smart ones Macaroni and cheese. It was fast, tasted ok, and healthier than fast food. Def not part of my clean eating though. After the church we headed over to a function hall for drinks, and food. LOTS OF FOOD......We will have to count this as a cheat day :/ I loaded my plate up with salad, a small turkey wrap, and 2 meatballs. Then I went back for a cookie and brownie....I only ate a bite of the brownie, but the cookies was to delicious to not eat the whole thing! I know this sounds like a lot of food and a lot of junk but to be perfectly honest I am pleasantly surprised with myself. Normally I would have stood by the chip table and snacked the entire time.

We just got home now and I had a handful of almonds then took my Olivia and dog Lance for a walk. It looks like rain is coming so we cut it a little short.

Even though I ate more than enough today I know I wont be able to get by without dinner so I am thinking of stir frying up some veggies.

Ah I love Sundays! Now off to put my baby to bed then settle in for my Sunday night shows! oh and a picture from today!

Day 6.

Saturdays....

are fabulous!! Especially 60 degree Saturdays in April. I started the morning off with 7:30 am Vinyasa Yoga at The Yoga Tree. 75 minutes of me time! Couldn't ask for a better Saturday morning than that. Thanks hubster for getting up with Olivia after working until 2 am. After yoga I stopped by Dunkin Donuts for a Saturday morning treat, a mocha Iced coffee with skim milk and truvia! When I got home I decided I hadn't quite met my daily chocolate fix so I had Kashi Cocoa beach cereal with almond milk! YUM! After running some errands for my nephews baptism tomorrow I had a Luna Oatmeal Raisin bar in my bag that satisfied my midmorning hunger attack. For lunch today I made a protein shake with a scoop of chocolate protein, a tbsp of peanut butter, some skim milk, and a drop of vanilla fat free yogurt. It was delish as always.

After an extremely stressful photo shoot for m 2 year old......(live bunnies for easter were not a hit) my sister and I drove around in the car for awhile until our two grumpy little loves fell sound asleep. I had some almonds on the ride since it was going to be a later than usual dinner.

When I got home I was craving something grilled, it was so gorgeous outside today. I made Turkey burgers with mixed veggies. I cooked everything outside on the grill and even grilled up a pizza for that lovely little 2 year I was talking about earlier.

My husband Adam who works almost everyday and long hours is finally home and we are getting ready to watch a movie and snack on some veggie chips! Ah the exciting lives we lead these days!

Tomorrow is my nephews baptism, I am the godmother! I am so honored and privileged to be asked to be such an important part of this little boys life. I'm nervous for the party after and all the yummy delicious foods that will be there but am just going to wake up early tomorrow morning to run, limit my portion sizes, and not stress about it like I normally do!

Day 5.

Friday Funday!

Today was out of the ordinary....I spent alone time with my husband!! Amazing, just the two of us, adult talk, killer workout, alone time! (lets just say this rarely happens so please ignore my over the top excitement!) We had a couple hours today before he had to go to work that my mother in law "nana" was able to watch Olivia so we could go to the local park and get a great workout in! I had an whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter before we left the house. We started with a half mile warmup lap. Then my husband had quite the workout in store for me. We started with 8 sets of 10 pushups and a sprint up a steep hill. After that we did crunches, leg lifts, lunges, squats, pushups, more pushups and more pushups! He is a Marine Veteran and he knows how to work hard. After the workout I had a coconut dipped in chocolate luna bar. Delish! I cant believe I had never discovered these bars before. I enjoyed that on the car ride to Newburyport where I finally got to try Revitalive Cafe in Newburyport. I got the berry bliss smoothie with almond milk and hemp protein. It was amazing!! Not sure if its something I would get all the time at 10.50 each! When we got home I was still feeling a little hungry so I made a fruit bowl and grabbed a handful of almonds.

This afternoon Olivia and I went shopping while Daddy was at work. My nephew jacobs baptism in on Sunday so I needed something to wear. I can joyfully say that most the dresses in my closet are too big now! I found the perfect dress at Kohls size.....6! I couldn't believe it when that zipper slid right up! What an amazing feeling! I don't remember ever being a 6 in my entire life. The last dress I tried on and bought was a 10 and that was on the smaller side for me!

By the time we got home Olivia and I were both more than ready for dinner. I was feeling lazy and it was late so I popped an organic Margherita pizza in the oven, made a spinach salad with fat free cheddar and another handful of almonds. I felt completely satisfied and now Im laying in bed with a glass of green tea waiting for my sheets to come out of the dryer so I can hit the sack. I don't know why I always think its a great idea to start cleaning at 10pm.

Tomorrow is a Yoga day! I love yoga mornings. 730 am is the perfect time to start with yoga. Not to early but done early enough to get going with your day.

Day 4.

Yoga makes me happy!

Today was a yoga morning, one of my favorite days of the weeks! 6:30 am vinyasa yoga at the Yoga Tree in Haverhill. Amazing as usual and I had already accomplished so much by 8 am! On my way home from yoga I made a quick stop to Dunkin Donuts and got my Small Coconut coffee with skim milk and truvia. When I got home I was really hungry so I made a quick bowl of Kashi Cocoa Beach cereal with almond milk. Later on in the morning I had a fruit cup made of fresh grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, and watermelon. We have finally been having some nice warmer weather so my body craves those fresh fruits! For lunch I loaded my plate up with some baby spinach, a small handful of almonds, and lite balsamic dressing. I also sprinkled a little bit of fat free cheddar on my salad. Since it was such a nice day I had the hubby fire up the grill for some grilled chicken and a sweet potato! Doesn't get much better than that for lunch! One of my all time favorites and so quick and easy! Mid afternoon I was itching for something crunchy and salty so I poured a small bowl of veggie chips and shared them with my two year old.

Sitting here writing this I just got back from a 3.5 mile run, I have an orange in hand, my baby girl is sound asleep and I have an organic spinach and feta pizza cooking in the oven. Life is good. The sun is still out and my friend Bridget will be coming over to do the 30 day shred with me!

Tomorrow Nana will be watching Olivia for a couple of hours in the morning so my hubby and I can have a "morning date" which consists of some serious workout time at a local park followed by a visit to a new vegan cafe for a smoothie! http://www.revitalivecafe.com/ ( I will review my smoothie in tomorrows post!) Dates are scarce these days as I am a stay at home mom which in turn leads to a lot of overtime for my poor husband. We both are really happy with the setup though and really couldn't ask for anything more!

Day 3.

Get Outside today!!

I woke up this morning to sun shining through my bedroom window! I immediately decided I must get myself and my little active two year outside today! I watch my adorable nephew Jacob at 9:00 so I figured Olivia and I could have some Mommy and daughter time at he park while Daddy slept in. We got to the park bright and early, I sat down on the park bench with my Dunkin Donuts Coconut coffee with skim milk in hand while Olivia ran around for a bit. It was a lot colder than it looked and we were the only ones there but it was well worth it!
When we got home I had some Kashi Cocoa Beach cereal with Almond soy milk. Its a little piece of heaven and I felt like I was eating a dessert! Mid morning snack was a slice of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread with a little almond butter. Lunch was leftovers from last nights dinner, grilled chicken asparagus, and wheat pilaf. A few hours later I was feeling hungry and grabbed a handful of almonds. Before dinner I took Olivia on a 3.5 mile run. It was tough pushing the stroller and forgetting my ipod but the black clouds overhead kept me motivated to keep on running. Since Liv fell asleep on our jog and is napping now I decided to whip up a peanut butter banana smoothie for tonight's dinner. Its become a favorite of mine, super filling, and oh so tasty!
Tonight after Liv goes to bed I am planning on walking the mall for some quality sister time and hopefully getting the 30 day shred in! Tomorrow is a Yoga morning and after a stressful couple of days it makes me so happy!

Day 2.

Here we go!

I decided to start a healthy eating blog for myself. After reading so many food blogs I became inspired. There is something about writing down your thoughts and feelings from the day that help hold you accountable for the actions you made! I have never been a healthy eater, I grew up on pizza, chicken fingers, and way too many happy meals. I struggled with my weight my entire life. Now that I have a daughter of my own, my hopes are that I can teach her early on how enjoyable healthy eating and an active lifestyle can be.

Today's menu consisted of:

Ezekiel Cinnamon raisin bread with almond butter

S'mores flavored Luna Bar

Chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie

Baby Spinach and almond salad with light balsamic vinaigrette

Grilled chicken, asparagus, and wheat pilaf

handful of cinnamon and sugar mixed nuts

A friend of mine recently introduced me to Ezekiel bread. It is

• 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein
• Contains all 9 essential amino acids
• 18 amino acids from all vegetable sources
• Contains no flour
• Low in fat
• Has no trans fats or cholesterol
• Relatively low in sodium

http://www.ezekielbread.net/

My Smoothie consisted of Almond soy milk, a tbsp of vanilla 99% ff organic yogurt, a tbsp of peanut butter, a tbsp of flax seed, half a cup of sugar free pudding, and a banana. It was amazing and tasted like I was eating a sinful milkshake!

I started my morning off with 6:30am Vinyasa Yoga at the Yoga Tree in Haverhill, Ma. I have become absolutely obsessed with yoga. Its the only 75 minutes of my day I have to myself. It starts my day off with a clear head to make healthy choices. The instructor and owner Caroline is absolutely amazing! She is encouraging and creates such a peaceful environment in her studio. I purchased a groupon (http://www.groupon.com), 20 classes for 20 dollars and I am dreading the day I my 20 classes are up. I love it so much though I may have to figure out a way to purchase the 100/month unlimited pass since i have been going 3-4 times per week!

After yoga I hit up the gym and ran 2 miles on the treadmill. Since I have been running outside lately it was a struggle for me from boredom. Thank god for ipods is all I can say. There is nothing better to me than completing a run outside while pushing my 2 year old in the stroller and turning into our driveway at the end hearing her say "yay Mama, we did it!" If that isn't enough motivation in itself then I don't know what is!

I plan on ending the night with the 30 day shred, It is the perfect workout for a busy mom since it can be done after the kiddies go to bed and it is only 20 minutes long!

In honor of my first blog post I will post a picture of me now, another picture in 10 days and so on.

Day 1.