Savory Sunday #5

This week's treat comes from the CleanFoodCrush website again. Chris loves peanut butter cookies so I thought I'd give these a try: Clean Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Can you believe there were only five ingredients? I mashed the banana and mixed it with the peanut butter. Then added the nutmeg and cinnamon. Finally, I mixed in the chocolate chips and baked this tasty dessert. As was the case with the Chickpea Blondies I made last week, these cookies were very moist and really not that sweet. These type of treats are helping me to cut back on the sugar and get rid of the cravings. The cookies fulfilled my need for chocolate that I still can't seem to get rid of. 

Sunday Summary

I ended the week with a total of 7.6 running miles - a little low due to the weather. I also walked for 3 miles, completed one Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout and had a two hour elliptical session.

This week's accomplishments:

1. I was down .4 of a pound on the scale.

2. I got some strength training back in.

3. I'm cooking more meals at home lately.

Winning!

It's been a very busy few days, especially work-wise. Last night, I was happy to come home to my Hello Fresh box. It's such a bonus not to have to worry about dinner when you have to work late. I opened a box, followed the recipe and our meal was ready in less than 30 minutes.

It's been pretty chilly here in Florida lately, so this week's box will certainly hit the spot. The first dinner we tried this week was Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Apples, Spinach, and Sage-Brown Butter Sauce. The good part of these Hello Fresh deliveries is that the ingredients provide a meal for exactly two people. It's good because it really helps with portion control and the temptation to over-indulge. The bad part is that there are no leftovers!!

I met Nadine for a nice, brisk run this morning. I noticed such a difference in my outlook this morning because I already had a sense of accomplishment before I went to work. It turned into a double workout day for me today. Once I got home from work and the grocery store, I did Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. 

I know, I know, I haven't been consistent with the strength training!

BUT, I may now have some renewed motivation. Today I was winning! I participated in a live Twitter with the dietician from Hello Fresh and a trainer from CrunchLive.com. It was really informative. Each company gave out a prize for the other. In the end, I won a year membership to CrunchLive.com, so stay tuned and I'll report back on some video workouts. 

Tonight's Hello Fresh dinner was Hearty Lentil and Bean Stew with Ginger, Cilantro, and Basmati Rice. It was the perfect dinner to fill me up on this winter day after two workouts. And, it's pretty too!

Savory Sunday #3

I made some treats over the course of the week. Last Sunday, I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Balls. The combination of oats, almond butter, chocolate chips and a bit of maple syrup was absolutely fabulous. I had two of these energy balls instead of dessert and it really satisfied that urge for sweetness without feeling like I had cheated. I also ate two of these prior to my 11 mile run on Saturday. I really think this was the perfect pre-race fuel for me. We will be keeping this recipe and making them again! 

Tonight, since I still had half a can of pumpkin puree left, I made Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies. I like having a quick breakfast alternative during the week and I have a feeling these will hit the spot. The recipe made twelve big cookies. While the energy balls were a soft, no bake treat, the cookies are more like a moist granola bar. They are definitely not as sweet, but I did enjoy the pairing of the pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries in this new recipe.

Sunday Summary

I ended the week with 14 running miles, one 20 minute elliptical session and three video workouts using Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I was very pleased, especially with yesterday's 11 mile run - I feel like I'm getting back on track in the running department. Also, I'm happy that I added some strength training into the schedule, but not happy that this week's schedule did not allow for any yoga classes.

This week's accomplishments:

1. I recorded a 1.8 pound weight loss. I've just been focusing on using healthy ingredients and portion size for now. 

2. I met the Fitbit 10,000 steps goal 3 out of the 7 days for the past two weeks. I'll be aiming to increase that this week.

Race Schedules

I ended up canceling my run today as I wasn't feeling well. In fact, bad enough that I called in sick to work. I slept very late and lounged around all day. Definitely not going to make that Fitbit steps goal today. I did, however, meet the sleep goal. 

In addition to continuing to read Year of No Sugar, I surfed the internet looking at races that fell on my school breaks. I think I have finally convinced Chris into going to Arizona over spring break! This would bring my upcoming races to include: the Austin Half Marathon in February, the Tuscaloosa Half Marathon and the Arizona Distance Classic in March. 

I still have a couple of personal days and a Southwest gift card, so there's a possibility of another race later this spring. And, since I'll be working summer school, there should be extra funds for a late summer trip before school starts up again in August. This should keep me motivated to stick to the training! I've rescheduled with Nadine for an easy run tomorrow and I've got 11 miles on tap with Kristine on Saturday. I'm also going to try to get in the 30 Day Shred video as I'm feeling much better.

This all reminds me that I've got to catch up with race recaps on this blog...I've fallen way behind!

Dinner tonight was Southwestern Black Bean Chili with Cheddar and Sour Cream. I'm down to one more Hello Fresh meal for this week, which means I'll have to go back to cooking on my own over the weekend! 

Over the Hump

It's Wednesday, and I'm happy to report that I've completed another Jillian Michaels' 30 day Shred workout. According to my Fitbit, I've been pretty consistent. The workout is 26 minutes long and my heartrate has stayed pretty much 70-80% in the fat burning zone. It's not getting any easier yet, but I'm still hoping to see some results especially in my upper body. Let's hope that I'm shredding that back fat!

 

Tonight's dinner was Jamie's Salsa Spaghetti with Black Olives & Fresh Basil. The sauce had a nice flavor with no added sugar. I really enjoyed the fresh basil. I'm finding this experiment with Hello Fresh interesting because the recipes come perfectly portioned for two servings. You would receive four times this much if you ordered it in a restaurant. Speaking of which, this recipe was by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has recently joined up with the Hello Fresh team to create some special recipes for us at home. 

I mentioned the no added sugar a moment ago because I've been reading Year of No Sugar by Eve O. Schaub. When my daughter first saw the book she asked, "When did you switch to horror?" Typical teenager! Just the first few chapters have made me much more conscious of what is going into these recipes that I've been making. Some of the recipes have been higher in calories, but that has been due to the use of olive oil and the inclusion of healthy fats such as avocado and nuts and seeds. I can't wait to read about the changes this family has experienced throughout their year of no sugar. 

I'm sitting here watching The Biggest Loser and anticipating the big changes coming their way. I really find it inspirational how hard these contestants work. But why does it always make me cry?

Two in a Row

Thank goodness for running buddies. Nadine and I have a standing early morning date twice each week, so I really did get out of bed this morning. Ah, accountability! 

After experiencing record breaking high temperatures many times over the last month or so, today was a nice, cool run. There was a ferocious wind along the river, but it was downright refreshing after the hot, humid running conditions we have been enduring. We had a slight increase in pace as a result.

When I returned home from work today, I initially thought Chris and Julie had Subway for lunch. When they do, the smell of raw onion permeates the house for hours. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not Subway, but that Chris had started dinner. Thank you Hello Fresh for making life so easy! Tonight we had Vegetable Ministrone with Tuscan Kale, Cannellini Beans, and Parmesan. I was caught a bit off guard that this soup did not have pasta as an ingredient, but we really didn't miss it. The veggies and beans were enough in the sweet broth, although I did add some cornbread to round out our meal.

While the cornbread was baking, I completed day two on level one of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I used the same modifications as yesterday and kept up pretty well. I love using the fitbit to track my workouts. It showed that I stayed right in the fat burning zone for this video, which is exactly where I want to be. 

Speaking of fitbit, I received an email today with a summary of my week...yeah, I'm kind of geeking out over all this information! 

Monday Motivation

I had every intention of getting up at 5:45 and getting a workout in before work. I guess I just need to face the fact that I am NOT a morning person. Forget the snooze button, even before the alarm sounded I changed the wakeup time thus eliminating any chance I would have of squeezing out the time to exercise. I do like to sip on my coffee and scroll through Facebook before getting ready for the day. Is that so wrong?

Instead, I had an afternoon snack when I got home and immediately changed into my workout clothes. I had gotten the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred as a gift (at my request) LAST Christmas and until today it had not yet been opened. I read a few blogs about the workout and was impressed by some of the results that were reported. I did heed their caution and took it slowly for my first time through.

Can I just say that I have absolutely no upper body strength. I run, but that's it. My legs can go and go and go (while running, of course, not performing squats and lunges). I've been called Katharine Hepburn one more than one occasion due to the tremors I experience almost immediately when lifting any size weights. 

I think I did pretty well with the video workout. First, I liked the fact that in total it was 22 minutes long. There was a two minute warmup followed by three rounds of exercises. Each round consisted of three minutes of strength exercises, two minutes of cardio and one minute of abs. I took the modifications for most of the exercises so that I would not only be able to walk and move tomorrow, but so that I would be inclined to replay the video tomorrow.

From what I read, it is suggested that each of the three levels be completed for ten days, hence the 30 day shred. Hopefully, I will be able to keep this up as a cross-training activity while I continue to train for half marathons. It is quite obvious that I need to incorporate more strength training to my routine.

I was also motivated today by participating in a fitbit challenge, so while I was in the midst of cooking dinner I took a 20 minute break and hopped on the elliptical, rocking out to some 80's tunes.

Dinner tonight was roasted acorn squash with a coconut curry sauce served with jasmine fried rice. This recipe was really tasty and not that difficult to make. 

All in all, not bad for a Monday. Now, I'm wondering if I can get in 500 more steps to meet my fitbit goal before bed.