Any lifestyle change will take some getting used to.
That's what makes the journey so incredible.
After a while you forget how the "old you" functioned before finding the "new you".
Whether it's increasing the amount of exercise you do, eating healthier for you and your family, losing weight, gaining muscle, dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease...it doesn't matter the reason. You've decided to change and the dedication it will take may seen overwhelming at first,
but it gets easier every day.
The key is to stick with it, don't quit and push yourself hard.
Be responsible and accountable for YOU.
If people discourage you along the way, find people that ENCOURAGE you.
Today's Workout: 3.5 miles intervals. 30sec spring/30sec jog
Whew I'm a sweaty mess but it was 70+ degrees today!
Today's Smoothie: Day 11 and going STRONG!
2 c spinach blended with water
1/4 c almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 c blueberries
*remember this smoothie is replacing one of six, small-balanced meals that are
high in protein and low in carbs.
And a few recipes I'd like to share since we've been experimenting in our kitchen this week! Ya know when my weight loss journey started nearly 12 years ago, I was clueless when it came to cooking. I mean CLUELESS! I would prepare a turkey patty or chicken breast in my trusty, 'ol George Foreman Every.Single.Night! seriously. I would warm a side of veggies to go with it and chug my water. That was close enough to homemade for me. Today, I've definitely improved my cooking skills so creating healthy meals that actually taste good excites me!
I love it and most of all, I love sharing them with all of you, so here we go!
Baked Chicken- 2 ways, easy for prepping!
On the left: Dip chicken in extra virgin olive oil. Make a dish of 1/4 c wheat breadcrumbs, 2 tbs Parmesan cheese and sprinkle of garlic powder or finely chopped garlic. Dip in that mixture after the oil and place on baking sheet. (you'll see in the picture above, it barely coats the chicken-just enough to really flavor it well)
On the right: Dip chicken in extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkle both sides with lemon pepper.
(We used Penzey's spices which makes an excellent lemon pepper.)
Bake both at 375 for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
I baked A LOT of these and separated them into containers to easily add to salads, wraps, etc!
*When things are easy, you'll stay on track and won't grab for those unhealthy snacks!
Today's Lunch:
hard boiled egg :) Salad mixed with lettuce, kale, black beans, kidney beans, chick peas and a sliced up mozzarella cheese stick.
and for a recipe that I created today which was OH so good,
Move It Mommas Chicken & Sausage Italiano
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts- cut into cubes
1 lb deer sausage-it's what we had, but you can use any lean sausage or chicken sausage would probably taste great too!
1 c grape tomatoes
1/2 c Plain Greek yogurt-I used Chobani
3 cloves garlic, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
Saute garlic and olive oil in skillet. Cook cubes of chicken until cooked through and remove from pan and set aside. Cook sausage and set aside.(I cooked meats separately in pan with garlic and olive oil because I'm paranoid and don't like my meats mixing!!)
In skillet add 1/2 c water and 1 c grape tomatoes and allow to simmer. Once tomatoes reduce a bit, add 1tsp cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce along with pepper and 1/2 Greek yogurt and simmer for 20 minutes. Add meats and simmer another 20 minutes.
Serve with whole wheat pasta or pasta of choice. I measured single pasta serving and topped with meat mixture and sauce to make sure we were getting right portions and put the leftovers away so that we were not able to go for seconds! Served with sauteed fresh string beans! Yum! The boys ate this too and it was delicious.
3 comments:
love the smoothie idea. I never thought to blend my spinach with water first - I just throw everything in and do it at once. I will have to try that and see how its different!
My fav protein smoothie is 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1 tbsp powdered peanut butter, 2 tbsp chai seeds, 1-2 cups baby spinach and a cup of unsweeteened almond milk with a few ice cubes thrown in.
I love this post. And I agree with you completely.
I also think it is important to set ourselves up for success by doing little things to help... get the junk food out of the house, or at least pile it all in one cupboard where you won't see it in front of you.
Make your car and your desk off limits for eating.
Keep your workout gear handy... you know what I am getting at.
I also think that the more our healthy routines become HABITS that makes so many fewer decisions we have to make.
I love your perspective! There is always opportunity to reinvent ourselves and strive for progress and improvement.
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