2013-03-31 Paleo Delights

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Getting back to Happy

After some hesitation mainly because I always find recipes with ingredients that are a no go for this program right when I'm thinking about starting it again.  Plus, the idea of choosing not to drink coffee, eat peanut butter or chobani for an entire 30 days is really hard for me.  I l live on these foods.  However, in order to be successful with the Whole30 Program it's really a necessity to give them up for a short period, otherwise I defeat the purpose of the program.  

I've been wanting to start this up again, because my body is feeling the weight gain and it's not looking good on me.   I'm not a lazy person and I enjoy working out....well I used to.  Hell, I used to live for it.  Every weekday I would wake up at 5:30am have my morning cup of coffee and a light breakfast before heading to the gym and get my workout in all before work at 8:30am.  The winter months bring me into a lazy lull and it's been the hardest this year to pull myself back out.   I think the cure would be to just live in San Diego where it's sunny year round - lots of natural Vitamin D = happiness, and being near my best friend.  I'm thinking maybe next year I may make this move, even if only a year or two, and then come back to the house once I've lived a little longer. 

Some other benefits of the Whole 30 program is a reset  in my metabolism, and bad cravings so I'm not eating foods that make me feel bad about myself afterwards, which has been a regular thing for me lately.  My routine has been to curl up on the couch and just eat.   Before when I worked out regularly my body was able to burn most of the foods that make me feel bad about myself afterwards and I would just even out on the scale each month.  However, now that I've been more sediment I see the damage it's doing to my body and it makes it harder to get the motivation to work out since I've gained the weight. 

I decided to make a calendar that I can look at each day to see how far I've made it on the program and I've added two milestone dates.  The first is on the 30th where I'll be heading to DC for a big dance events and it will be nice to have a short term -more instant gratification to look forward to.  30 days is a long time to stay motivated without something in between to keep me pushing forward.  The second is the 16th of April, my birthday, so it will be worth the effort to feel my best on my birthday.  Plus, I'll be heading back to DC for that weekend for another dance event, and I will be enjoying feeling and looking good.  

Calendar Part 1: first half of the Whole 30 program

Calendar Part 2: second half of the Whole 30 program

During this time I also plan to do cardio every day whether it's 10 minutes or 45 minutes and I also want to build up my endurance so that on April 1st I can begin the Bikini Body Momma 90-day program again.  I had started in back in December, but only a few weeks in I realized my body wasn't ready for this program yet.  By doing some workouts beforehand it will help to warm my body up for the intense body weight workouts in the program and I've also modified the calendar to include 2 rest days so my body has sufficient recovery time between workouts and I can complete the program successfully.

So my Goals are....
By doing the Whole30 Program I plan to lose at least 5 lbs of water weight aka bloating from eating the foods that aid in helping me to feel bad about myself, which would leave me back at 150lbs.  I also hope to reset my metabolism so my body will continue to burn fat even when resting, and move toward muscle building exercises that will tone my body.

Tuesday, March 19
Self Pity Day
Today I did good up until I hit the couch and watched the finally of The Biggest Loser and realized I need to do something. I also knew that more and more dance events are coming up that I will be at and I want to look and feel my best for them. Dancing takes a lot of energy and the only way to keep up is to fuel my body right and be active on non dance days.

Tuesday, March 19
Day 1: Cardio
I woke myself up early this morning & slept in my workout clothes ~ no excuses ~ to get in a good cardio since I've been slacking on completing any good cardio at home. Ive been dancing more often, but I need more cardio then that during the week.

it feels really good to sweat this morning. Goal is to Repeat 3x this week. Now for breakfast.

Elliptical
Minutes: 50
Strides: 7120
Calories: 526
Resistance: 5
Incline: 7

bed: 10pm

Wednesday, March 20
Day 2: Toning
I woke myself up early again this morning & slept in my workout clothes ~ no excuses ~ to get in a short cardio & a toning exercise.

Elliptical
Minutes: 25
Strides: 3660
Calories: 278
Resistance: 5
Incline: 7

Toning: 20 minutes
Work it Off Wednesday by She Rocks Fitness
2 Rounds ~ no rest
20 / 20 deep bw squats
50 / 40 Mountain Climbers
1m / 1m Wall Sits
30 / 30 Plank Touch Opposite Shoulder

* rest 1 minute *

2 Rounds ~ no rest
5 / 5 Burpees
15 / 15 Triceps Dips
20 / 20 Step ups (10 ea leg / no alt.)
1m / 1m Plank

I only completed 2 of the 3 rounds in 20 minutes and I wasn't able to do the full reps for some of the exercises ~ for now :)

bed: 11pm

Thursday, March 21
Day 3: Cardio
I woke up 15 minutes later and I had to around my shower time, and also thought I should change my alarm to when I need to hit the showers instead of out the door, since by the time my alarm goes to get out the door I'm just getting out of the shower.

Also, it's been very hard making it through the day without my coffee.  So far my body is having a hard time staying awake.  I did get to bed an hour later then I'd hoped to, so that may be a reason as well.  I also woke up this morning with a tightness in my throat and I hope it's not leading to a sinus infection. 

Elliptical
Minutes: 45
Strides: 6420
Calories: 490
Resistance: 5-6
Incline: 7

Minutes: 18-26
Resistances: 7
Incline: 7

bed: 9pm
By the time I finished pretty my salad for lunch tomorrow and making curry chicken and cauliflower rice, plus more sweet potato hash I was pretty beat.  I also washed 2 sets of dishes and steamed mopped the main floor area of the kitchen.  I also realized how handy it would be to have a food processor that had a julienne slicer again.  My right arm was sore after julienne 2 jumbo size yams. 

Friday, March 22
Day 4: Cardio + Toning
When I woke up this morning my throat felt swollen, like an allergic reaction in my mouth.  It was awful.  I went downstairs to get my cough drops and found some gateraide to drink while I did my workout.  I headed for the Elliptical for my warm up and then up to the 3rd floor workout space to complete my toning exercises via She Rocks Fitness.   After reviewing the workout yesterday I decided it would be good to modify the number of reps to match where my fitness level is currently.  I knew that if I tried to complete the number noted I would burn out on round one so I split the reps in half.  It was still an intense workout and I could feel the see the sweat lightly dripping.

I am still coffee free, though it's really hard today since I'm feeling pretty lightheaded and really just tired from whatever aliment is plaguing me.  I may end up leaving work early to rest. 

Elliptical
Minutes: 20
Strides: 2650
Calories: 206
Resistance: 6
Incline: 7

Work it Off Wednesday #3

Time: 16 minutes (7:28-7:44am)

2 Rounds w 1 min rest between rounds
10 - deep bw squats
03 - burpees
10 - modified push ups
10 - alt. reverse lunges
03 - burpees
30s - planks

2 Rounds w 1 min rest between rounds
10 - deep bw squats
15 - mountain climbers
08 - triceps dips
15 - mountain climber
10 - alt reverse lunges
15 - mountain climber
30s - plank

Saturday, March 23
Day 6: Rest

bed: midnight

Sunday, March 24
Day 7: Cardio
Since Friday I've not been feeling well and have had a sore throat, so much that it hurts very badly when I cough so it took all I had to gather the energy to workout before brunch, but I knew that once I ate I was going to be down on the couch for the rest of the day.

I had slept very long today as well.  I woke up at 6am this morning only take another dose of equate night time liquid and headed back to sleep until 11:30am when I finally decided to get up and wash all my sheets and took a very steamy shower to help relieve some of the mucus buildup.  

Elliptical
Minutes: 45
Strides: 6310
Calories: 490
Resistance: 6
Incline: 7

I've made it a whole week without coffee! Only 3 more weeks to go.

2013-03-24 Paleo Delights: Whole 30

Sorry for the late posting today, but I've been under the weather since Thursday with a horribly sore throat and cough and I hadn't added the curry chicken until today.  

Sweet Potato Hash over Eggs by Nom Nom Paleo

I tell you that if you have a food processor grater option your going to want to use it for this recipe.  I have 2 small ones, and neither of them have this option so I used a grater tub, but my right arm was hurting after grating just one jumbo yam.

This was an easy recipe despite the hand grating option is very yummy and you can change up the taste by changing up the spices.  I made two eggs each morning and then just microwaved the sweet potato hash for about 40 seconds. 

Mixed Greens & Chicken Stir Fry

I just sauteed some chicken cubes and some mixed vegetables from a grocery package and then added some fresh veggies and mixed greens and spinach.  Then added some dressing; though my dressing is not whole30 approved, but I have a love of poppyseed dressing that I just can't be denied.

Cauliflower Rice & Curry Chicken w Steamed Broccoli
by The Food Lovers Kitchen and Angel'as Whole 30

I spent a few hours putting these meals together, but so worth it.  I didn't have any chicken breast on on hand so I used some leftover rotisserie chicken that was less then the amount called for so I split the curry chicken recipe in half.

I was disappointing at how bland it was as I was expecting at least a small punch, but noting.  It could have been one of many reasons like not using real chicken breast, the recipe wasn't spicy to begin with, not using turmeric as I had none on hand or I had a severe sore throat and my sinus were beginning to get stuffed up.  Though I'm thinking it was really more due to the recipe not calling for much spice and the lack of turmeric.

The cauliflower rice was pretty yummy.  My food processors are small so I had to cute the head o cauliflower in multiple batches so it gives me another good reason to buy a larger food processor for sides such as this.  As much as I love real white rice it has no nutritional value, and brown rice isn't very appetizing, mainly because I can never cook it right.   Outside of dicing the cauliflower the only other work to make cauliflower rice is to add a few spices and saute it for a few minutes.   

2013-03-20 GID: Bathroom Chaos

This room has been in total chaos for several months now; really for the last year since I can count on one hand how long the room has stayed clear. My mom has A-LOT of things; really they are everywhere and even when I think I'm making progress she'll find something to clutter up the space. It's very frustrating even for the non-neat freak that I am and I am a firm believer that things should have a home so they go back to it every time. My mom just put's it where ever there is space and sometimes she just shoves thing into a space - like the fridge. Even with things labeled she still makes her own space for items. Again, very frustrating. 

On Sunday I really just had enough of this room, enough of walking past piles of stuff and leaping over things so I can get to my washer and dryer so I took charge of clearing out the room. My mom is great at avoiding cleaning out clutter; she'll always find an excuse why she hasn't gotten to it and to her it's always legit.

for the most part my mom and I get along, it's really just the stuff and clutter that makes up most of our quarrels, but as you can see from the before photo you can understand why I quarrel over clutter.  

While cleaning out I cleared out the white plastic shelf in the bottom left photo& 2 others that you can't see, because there is so much in the room.  The two boxes under the laundry basket in the bottom right photo is mostly items that need to be listed on Amazon - Books and DVD's which have no place being the bathroom.  I moved them out into the hallway in hopes that my mom will sort through them this week.    Plus, we've moved a bookshelf to my 3rd floor to house our Amazon listings so we can find them when they sell so I know she'll be more likely to take care of the now.  

She had about 6 tubes of toothpaste, 5 deodorants, about 4 cups of liquid eye drop packets and another few cups of the liquid bottles,  8 chapsticks,  6 moisturizers, and 5 toe nail clippers just to name a few things she had hiding in there.  I took all the extra items and they will be moved to the basement where we have several shoe boxes that house our extra toiletries. 

There is also a tall hamper on wheels that you can see below in the before pictures.  It was being housed in front of the tub.  It works much better in it's new location where it's out of the way and easy to move when we need to get to the washer and dryer.  

Alright, finally it's cleared out.........Yeah!!!  I can walk right in and not trip or anything and I can easily get to my washer and dryer.  Goal achieved. 

As you can see it's still a huge difference with how clean and sorted everything is, but there is still work to be done with making it more like home.   Like painting all the walls.  I had painted the toilet wall area a pretty blue, but I think I want to change it out and all the other walls are still the original yellow.  I would like to put some type of shelving above the sinks and eliminate the odd shaped wire shelves my mom had installed behind my back.   I'd also like to see the base cabinet go at some point.  It's just way to big for the space and not practical.  Really what I would like is a linen closet, that would be fantastic, but that's still a bit out of my league to attempt. 

I left some things for my mom to do since this is technically her bath space.  I use the one on the 3rd floor so ALL of this stuff is hers.  There are a few organizers I left onto of the base cabinet next to the toilet, and the items behind the door and on the door I didn't touch.  I also asked her to do a deep clean the bathroom while all the surfaces are cleared.  I also added some things in her tub like extra  shampoos/conditioners for her to choose ones she wanted to use now and the rest will go downstairs with the extra's.

2013-03-04 CAP Saying Goodbye to the Series

I've decided after some thought about whether I would keep this series that it's time to call it an end.  I feel as though both clear a path and get it down can go hand in hand, so I will be continuing get it done and then allowing myself some freedom to throw in a fun out of the norm post here and there and this way it can keep things fresh and fun.

It's mainly because, I've just been feeling rushed trying to get everything in and trying to have 4 solid posts each week is a bit much, especially since there are so many projects left to do at the house that I really should be working on instead .  This will allow me to post smaller projects that I complete either on my get it done series or maybe every so often on a Friday aka Fun Fridays, but it wont be a weekly series.

I've had a lot of fun adding the 2013 January Cure to my clear a path series and I am loving how my home is molding into a place I want to be, because of the series  I'll continue to create update posts about my Project List from the January Cure since I didn't complete everything I wanted and any DIY's I work on.

2013-03-03 Paleo Delights

Quinoa Garbage Can Salad  by Haute + Healthy

I had planned to make this last week for lunch, but never got around to it, so tonight while the stir fry was simmering I gathered the ingredients and started chopping.  I also decided to grill the chick peas. 

I found this recipe on how to cook fluffy, tasty quinoa & used it for both the salad and my side for the chicken stir fry below. The quinoa was very fluffy and tasty.

Healthy Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry by Undressed Skeleton 

I soaked the chicken in 3 egg whites, though I'm not sure what the point of that was, while I sauteed the veggies and mixed up the sauce.  I only put in half of the chili sauce, mainly because my roomie can't do spicy, but it was still very tasty. 

THRIFTY FINDS FEBRUARY

I've been having a lot of fun lately on my thrifting adventures and thought I would share what I've found.

Some Time Ago Find

 

I found these a few months back and wasn't sure what I would do with them, but for $2.50 for the pair I figured I would find a use.  They currently, are living happy at the base of my bed housing my workout shoes and attire for the next day.  

I {heart} this scarf.  I can't believe I went through the whole store and never knew it existed, luckily they had a scarf bin at the checkout table and I just happened to browse through it quickly while waiting in line to pay and I when I saw it my eyes lit up.  I couldn't wait until it was cold enough so I could wear it.   

Last Week Finds

I found this a few weeks back, and it took a week once I bought it to finally get it washed, but I knew when I found it that it would be the perfect addition for my bedroom as my bedside throw.

I love the vintage feel of this deer photo and even at full price I had to take it home.  I love the purple undertones and that it reminds me of feeding and watching the deer when I worked up in Huntingdon.

All, I have to say is wow, this purse had me written all over it.  It's so vintage chic.  I couldn't image why anyone would give this up until I got it home and tried to use the coin zipper and the inside was stuck together.  Luckily, I don't really need that part and it gives me time to clean it up.  Plus, the other two pockets are fine, which I'm pretty sure it's meant to hold a checkbook.

I have a small growing collection of coffee mugs, so needless to say I felt a bit guilty buying 3 more, but I took them home anyways even at $1 each.  I did  go through my collection and decided to part with my 4 IKEA white and green ceramic mugs as these really have the unique and vintage look I want for my home. 

Tuesday Store 1

I just adore the warm feeling of the colors of these s/p shakers and I just had to have them for my collection.  I know there not genuine mcm, and their color tag was not on clearance I took them home anyway.

Even after buying the last throw I couldn't resist this beautiful reversible quit.  I couldn't find a brand tag, so I'm not really sure if I over paid, but it's so lovely and adds a warmth to my room that makes me glad I didn't leave it to the fates & wait for the day they have everything 50% off.

Tuesday Store 2

I was elated when I saw this piece, a ceramic and wood Trivet with a lovely pattern.  It's perfect for my living room.  I had to take the feet off and need to attach some command strips before I can hang it.

I couldn't resist buying it, even though I really don't drink.  I loved the wood like material and mcm feel and I knew that at some point I would have a glass of wine that will need a cork screw. 

I had actually purchased a plate set at Store 1 prior to coming to this store.  I had seen the last set the previous Thursday, but wasn't willing to pay the 12.99 price tag.  I was glad to see it was still there, but strangly had a hesitation about buying the set, and knew when I saw these that was why.

They are exactly the size and style I was searching for and after finding them for $17.50 each on ebay I pretty much made out.  Since I don't need both sets I added the Desert Rose pattern by Royal China / Jeannette Company to my newly started etsy shop. 

Sneak Peak

I had this mirror in a few locations and finally found a home in my bedroom as part of my morning art wall, noted in my January Cure Update post.   Finally, when I painted my kitchen I managed to take some time to give it 2 coats of High Gloss spray paint since after bleaching it for about a week to attain the crips while color I wanted for the project. I also spray painted the RI for RISE, and also the same week I made it back to JoAnn's to return my letters from MORNING and some fabric and purchased the SE letters.  They are awaiting to be spray painted.