The Lake House Fit Prep

On August 3rd a friend of mine invited me & a few others to spend the weekend at his families lake house at Wallenpaupack in the Poconos. When I looked at my planner it just so happens that I had nothing scheduled for that weekend.  Let's just say I was pretty excited, because there is going to be boating, wake boarding, kayaking, jet skiing, water skiing, barbequing, campfires, swimming, sunbathing and general hanging out and so it's going to be a pretty fantastic weekend.  I messaged him back with "I'm totally free.  Would love to come."  

However, it wasn't until after I replied that the thoughts came into my head...what am I going to wear. Ahh.  I don't even know where my bathing suit is and this past week my diet has been way off healthy so I made sure to put together a sure fire plan that would help me be lake ready by the end of August.  

I found a small Mead 5x7 Five Star Notebook that I hadn't been using and used the computer to print out my cover page and some of my headers so I could trace them.  This assured that they would be more decorative then sketched. 

For some reason I typed Beach House instead of Lake House, but I didn't realize that what I did until after the page was done, so I figured it was close enough.  Either way there's a bathing suit involved.   

I

I also created a goal sheet.  This one I glued to the page, because it simply was more esthetically pleasing.   I know I have quite a few goals on there, but there pretty basic.   

Mainly, I want to make sure that I'm:
* exercising daily, even if it's just a short walk, juicing one meal a day.
* one TIU bombshell spells /  Vegan spell daily o jump start my metabolism.
* order the TIU Protein Powder
* eating lean, clean and green food.  No cheat meals or compromises. 
* prepping my meals the night prior so that everything is ready.
* getting my rest so my body can heal itself after each day's workout.

As long as I follow my guidelines the rest of my goals should follow.  There's no reason why I should drop a pant size in the next 2 weeks, as long as I'm staying true to my diet and exercise plan.

I even created a time frame page where I can list what type of exercise I'll need to have ready for that day.  I want to keep it simple, so I'll have 1 walk day, 3 run days and 3 HIIT days for strength training.  I also printed out this weeks Summer Sizzle workout schedule from TIU so I would have a few more HIIT and cardio ideas.   

 grocery cart run week 1

Meals: Week 1
M1: Omelet or Yogurt Bowl with peaches, blueberries, chia seeds and walnuts.
M2: Coconut Water an Cashews
M3: Juice It
M4: Veggies with Protein or Fruit
M5: Chicken Meatloaf Muffins with roasted brussel sprouts with Lemon
        or Spinach Quinoa Peach Salad.

Measure: Week 1
Weight 152 before

Total Inches: It's 3 days in and I've yet to get to this part. Can't find my fabric measuring tape.

What am I going to Wear??

Me, trying on the poke-a-dot at TJ MAXX

haha, while running errands on Sunday I came across 2, yes I said two bathing suits that I just loved at TJ MAXX and I came home with both of them.  I don't' plan on keeping both of them, but it was just to hard to decide so I checked the return policy and as long as the liner and tags are in tacked I can return them.  This way it gives me the next two weeks to determine if I've reached my goal enough to pull off the two piece or if I should really wear with the dress bathing suit.  

I do actually love how both of them fit and look on me, but obviously the dress bathing suit is going to be more practical for wake boarding, kayaking, or jet skiing, but I don't feel as cute and girly as the black and white poke-a-dot suit makes me feel, which would be fine for boating, socially gatherings, and sunning.  We'll see what happens once it gets closer to the weekend. 

2013-02-10 Paleo Delights

Chicken Caprese Salad   The Kitchen Table - The Eat-Clean Diet®

I love how simple and yummy this recipe is. Marinate the chicken in balsamic, olive oil and oregano, cook and cut. the toppings was even easier; cut tomatoes, mix with olive oil and garlic. Then drizzle lemon poppy dressing.   The Lemon Poppy dressing is store bought and not Paleo, and neither is the banana bread I had on the side.

Balsamic Chicken & Roasted Mushrooms  
Maggies Bites & Dinners & Dreams

The Balsamic Chicken would have been good, however, I decided to use a whole jumbo garlic head and that mixed with the black pepper caused some major fire burning in my mouth.  In order to tame it down I used this chicken in with the Chicken Caprese Salad, which aided in taming down the spiciness.

2013-02-03 Paleo Delights

I feel a bit silly today {Monday} since after going to review my post and seeing nothing, but my signature. Oops. I was so busy this weekend focusing on some craft and my bed project that I totally forgot to add my delights for the week. So I decided to take the post down so I could make the much needed additions of the interesting dishes I made last week.

Healthy Breakfast: by Michele Foley

This breakfast was surprising filling and delicious and only took 2 minutes to prepare.  I used my tupperware with 3 dividers and had enough to make for 3 mornings.  The cottage cheese lactaid freeand tomatoes I put in their own section and the cucumber and avocado I added to the same and when I was ready to eat my breakfast I mixed everything together.    This will definitely be a breakfast I'll be using again on my menu. 

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad  by Skinny Taste

I made the mistake of adding more onion then the 1/4 cup that the recipe called for and even with the juice of 2 lemons it was still a bit onionie.  I thought it would be okay, because I love onions, but really I love sauteed onions not raw unless it's on a burger.  I still enjoyed the receipt, but it's one of those that even 3 days in a raw is a bit much, plus the shrimp was about $7 for the lb so I'm not likely to make it again unless I'm spending less on the shrimp. 

No Bake Energy Bites by Gimme Some Oven

These were very very yummy and I wanted to keep eating them.  The recipe made 15, but I ate most of them before I remembered to take the photo.  Also, in order to form the mixture into balls I had to add a bit more honey then the recipe called for. 

Paleo Delights 2013-01-27

French Toast and Sliced Apples

Yummy French toast which consist of sourdough bread, dash of cinnamon, dash of vanilla extract, and fructose {instead of brown sugar because I didn't have any} and 2 eggs with coffee & natural syrup.  This was actually only my weekend treat and during  the week I just had a veggie omelet. 

Summer Bean Salad  by Mom Machine

This recipe didn't take very long for to make, which I was glad for as it's always nice when your meal doesn't take long and it's tasty.  The chicken was only a few steps before it hit the grill.  The taste of the beans was a bit dry, but I think it's due to the chick peas.

Turkey burger w Spinach & butternut Squash
by The Lemon Bowl & Nutritious Eats

This was a super delicious burger with spinach, but the butternut squash didn't come out that well.  They were still pretty squashy even after baking for 40 minutes at 425 so I broiled them and then burned then instead.

New Meal Planning Layout
I made a few changes to my meal planner and I thought I would share them with you.  I know for me I dread meal planning each week, because it takes quite some time to figure out exactly what I want to eat.    For the longest time I would search for pretty printables or create something in word, but after a while none of them stuck until I bought a pretty single subject notebook at Target a few months back that I use each week. 

I used to plan 5 meals a day 3 full meals and 2 snacks, but since switching over to mostly Paleo I only eat 3 with coffee and maybe 1 snack, so I've changed up my menu planner to match up to my new way of eating.  Though there not major changes, but I like how clear it is now instead of a mash of a mess that it used to be.

Also, in the last few weeks I've been wanting to change up what I eat so I'm not eating the same steamed veggies for 7 days - so boring really.   I was fine with it for a long time, but I guess now I would like something a bit different so i divided my meals in the middle so I can plan for two different breakfast / lunch / dinner each week, so come the weekend I wont be scrounging for what to make, because I'm bored of my weekly meal.

2013-01-20 Paleo Delights

Scrumptious Pineapple Scramble by Whole Family Strong

This is a repeat from 2012-01-06 Paleo Delights & My New Planner
Just an FYI without the fresh pineapple this isn't as tasty.  

Cafe Zupas Nuts about Berries Salad by The Pretty Life Anonymous

I love how this photo came out so clean & Crisps and totally inviting even for a salad.   I love Brianna's Rich Poppy Dressing and it added just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the strawberries and raspberries.  I also diced up romaine, spinach & cucumbers then added some cherry tomatoes.

Roasted Vegetables by Undressed Skeleton and Rotisserie Chicken

This meal was pretty much one of the those garbage meals as I used up all my extra veggies that were left over from last week's meals and then added some fresh squash that I picked up at the store for this.  I also cheated and bought rotisserie chicken from the store so it was one less thing to cook and mess with.  I just had to debone it,which really didn't take that much effort. 

2012-12-23 Paleo Delight

Yummy Breakfast Omelet

After having a delicious ham, sausage and veggie omelet at the Diner last Friday I decided this week I would add some meat to my veggie omelet and wow, what a difference it made in the flavor. I had purchased a lean Turkey Bacon from our Giant Grocer. My preference for Turkey sausage is Jeane-O's Turkey Sausage, but I can only purchase that at Wegman's and I wasn't heading in that direction on my grocery day. Pretty much this omelet has Turkey Sausage, Green peppers, tomatoes, black pepper, mushrooms, and a 1/2c liquid eggs {regular} and 1/2c liquid egg white {Mexican flavor}, because the Mexican liquid eggs were a bit much and so I thought I would tone them down by adding the regular mix. This serves 2. I also had a banana for a side. Very delicious and I would definitely make this combo again.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry by Sweet Treats and More

This actually turned out pretty bland for me as I was expecting a bit more punch.  I even added more curry and some crushed red peppers, but that didn't help.  The funny thing was everyone at work was telling me how good it smelled and my roommate said our house smelled good for several hours after I made it, but I couldn't smell it until it was about 2" from my nose and even then it didn't smell of this amazing aroma everyone was telling me that smelled.   Though it may have been, because my curry was int eh slow cooker about 2-3 hours longer then the directions noted, but I wasn't getting up at 3am to shut it off.   I will attempt to make this one more time, but for now it's not really something I would make with excitement again. 

Burger Pattie with Side Salad

I wanted a simple dinner, so I purchased premade patties from the organic section {just to lazy to make them myself} and ate a side salad with cucumbers, mixed greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and Annie's Poppy Seed Dressing.  I'm sure the burgers and the poppy seed dressing are not on the Paleo approved list, but this week that 's what I wanted and it was yummy.  

Paleo Delights + Whole30 Thanksgiving Meal

* Strawberry Lemon Muffins

   I have to say I'm pretty proud at how the photos of these muffins came out, considering I only used my droid incredible.  I hope to have a SLR in the future, but my budget doesn't allow for that expense right now so I've been playing with the lighting settings.  You can really tell the difference between the outcome of these muffins versus the food shots below.  It's not the end all, but it's at least progress in learning to know how to use what I have and coming out with better visual results.  

My version made 12, but didn't cook well and the bottoms were pretty mushy even after 40 minutes in the oven {10 of that outside of the muffin pan}.  I had used Canola Oil for the Coconut Oil, mainly because I had more of that on hand and thought I would try it.  Then I used frozen versus fresh strawberries.

* 4 Egg Veggie Omelet {serves 2}    

      Saute mushrooms and tomatoes (or veggies of choice) 4-5 minutes.
      Remove from pan and plate.
     Add 4 Eggs, scrambled, with Crushed Red Peppers mixed in {optional}
     Let sit until Cooked though.
     Add Sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes on top of eggs and flip half over.
     Cook for a few extra minutes.
     Cut in half and save the other half for breakfast tomorrow.
     Serve with a side of fruit.

Very delicious and so easy to make ahead of time.  I made batch and then dished them in lunch box containers so I could grab and go in the morning.  I either had a banana or two mandarin  oranges with it.  

* Soft Egg with Avocado and Tomatoes

This was okay.  I had to much cilantro on mine or maybe I just didn't chop it fine enough. I most likely wont make this again.

* Happy Thanksgiving Meal

* Quick Pan Seared Turkey Chickn Cutlets
   This was really super easy, and very delicious.  I had to sub the Turkey for Chicken, because I couldn't find Turkey Cutlets.  

* Roasted Mushroom Melody 
   Yummy.  can't go wrong with roasted mushrooms.

* Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing 
   This was absolutely my favorite part of my thanksgiving meal.  It was super delicious and pretty easy to make.  Though I didn't use corn on the cobb I used a canned mexican corn mixture I had in a can that I wanted to use up.  Next time I make this I'll use corn on the Cobb.

* Pumpkin Pie  {gluten free, dairy free, soy free}
   In general I'm not a pumpkin, but I thought it was good.  We did finish the pie, but some needed ice cream since the pie wasn't very sweet.

Whole 30 Week 3

So I’m pretty excited, because I decided to weigh myself and it said 148!  Wow, haven’t been that light since April and that didn’t last but a week before I sprung back up to 152lb.  This last year I’ve been less than 155lb, which has been nice, but since starting the Whole30 Challenge I’ve never felt healthier & satisfied with what I’m eating.  It’s amazing when you don’t rely on processed foods how quickly your stomach can communicate with your brain that your satisfied even before you finish you place.    It’s also been nice no needed a cup or two or three of coffee a day to keep me going, and I’m really thinking about not going back to coffee.  When you’re on the Whole30 challenge they don’t recommend you weigh yourself, because it’s not about weight loss, that’s really only an extra benefit that comes along with eating well.  However, I hadn’t weighed myself in a while and wanted to see where I was at especially since my clothes are getting looser. 

I’ve also been drinking more water.  I’ve not been totally on with the no sugar no gluten as last night I did have some graham crackers with peanut butter and honey dipped in unsweetened Almond Milk, but I could only eat 4 small pieces (= 2 full sticks) before I was sick to my stomach.  I ended up giving the rest to my dog who enjoyed them far more.  It’s funny how sweet and nauseating they were after not having sugar & gluten in my system for a few weeks.  I’m glad I did eat try to eat them, because now I know they make me feel sick, and blah feeling and super groggy in the morning.  I feel better and have more energy when I’ve had at least 7 hours of sleep and no gluten. 

I love actually how my sleep patterns have improved doing the Whole 30 Challenge.  I’m ready for bed between 10pm and 11pm and sleep through the entire night!  It’s been several months of waking up around 2am or 4am and then it would take me a while to go back to sleep.  Plus, I’m finding time to read.  I’m not much a  reader, but I’ve been working on the ‘It Starts with Food’ book based on the Whole30 Challenge and it’s been very helpful in understanding why the foods were selected for the challenge and why it’s been so hard to lose weight in the past.    I read about a chapter a day, but break it up depending on the number of pages.  The past day or so my reading has been delayed, but for good reasons.  This morning I’m excited to say that I finally, finally tried on a large banker’s box full of clothing + a small bankers box worth of blue jeans that I’ve been procrastinating for the last several months now.    It felt really good to finally get that done and now I have two nice size piles, one to donate and one to sell, and 2 pants for snow removal and 2 workout pants for running outdoors and 3 pairs of jeans I can wear right now.   I currently have several boxes that I need to write up so I can take them to be donated.  That’s on my list of things to do this week.  Once that’s done my living room will look less like a storage unit.  Though I have brought more items in, I’m still okay with that since I’m also taking things out and the new items work better with my overall concept design and have designated uses.  

I took a few photos of my latest thrifty finds, but they will have to be posted later this week.  I also need to set up a time to look at an old 1950s white table so I can have it ready for guest for Thanksgiving and also send out the invite for dinner to a few people.  It will be small maybe 5 or 6 people, as I can’t seat any more then that at the table. 

List of Recipes I’ve tried – liked – won’t make again.

LIKED:

Breakfast
Paleo Egg and Veggie Muffins
{I combined two recipes, but didn't add bacon: one / two}


Snack
 Coconut Milk Ice Cream
apple's soaked in orange and lemon juice.
 
Lunch / Dinner

Spiced Tilapia filets

Chicken Veggie Meatballs with Pesto Zucchini "Noodles

Paleo Coconut Nuggets w "BBQ" Sauce {these are my favorite so far}

Almond Crusted Stuffed Chicken {very very delicious}

NOT A FAN: 

chicken salad made by mixing avocado

Egg and Spinach Muffins

Whole 30 bound

OMGoodness, I can't believe I've survived almost a week without coffee and animal cookies (particularly Targets Market Pantry in the teddy bear container)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's pretty much an amazing feat for me as I pretty much live on them. However, my body has been telling me these past weeks that I need a change. I've been relying to much on coffee and cookies to get me through the day and yogurt, eggs and nuts for my main source of protein.
 
I need to stop being lazy about my food preparation and start making nourishing choices with my food.  So after reading around a few blogs and searching pinterest to see what others have done I came across Today's Letters and her Whole 30 challenge.  It intrigued me and so I decided to see what this Whole 30 thing was all about. I liked that it took a lot of the foods I've been relying on out so that I would be forced to be creative and think again outside of my box, which is something I used to do very well with my food choices.  I also liked that it would help me ween myself off the caffeine and cleanse my body of all the dairy since I'm lactose intolerant I knew it wasn't doing good things for me. 

You are giving yourself 30 days to eat in a way that is nourishing to your body. Each successful day that passes will get easier and easier.

Overall, I'm pretty happy so far with the results, especially in my energy and my abilities to cook again in MY  kitchen.  I emphasized MY because I have my own kitchen in my own townhome.  It's kind of awesome to have it set up the way I want it, though it's still a work in progress on how I want it to look. 

For breakfast I made a Fruit Smoothie ,however, I forgot when I went to the grocery store that SO DELICOUS COCONUT MILK wasn't a Paleo approved option, but I'm going to finish it out and when it's gone I will buy the canned coconut milk.  I made a few variation, but my favorite is with

Fruit Smoothie
1 Frozen Banana
3 Fresh Strawberries
Frozen Bananas
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Organic Breakfast Blend 100% Juice
1/2 cup Spinach (too much makes the smoothie taste not as good)

Snacks: I kept it simple with a LaraBar (with hb egg) & {Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds}
Lunch: Chicken & Veggie Meatballs with Pesto Zucchini "Noodles" the first half and Organic Spaghetti sauce (without sugar) the other half of the week.  I was shocked at how many sauces contained sugar and in the 1st four ingredients.  side: Strawberries and Pineapple
Dinner: Spiced Tilapia with Cucumbers in lemon juice and chili powder

I have yet to make the Banana Ice Cream.she has on her blog, but I hope to try some this week.



 goal
stay focused
create meal plns
prep food
maybe even keep eating paleo even after the 30 days
read it starts with food



 however, is a month of diligence. Really putting my effort into cleanly fueling myself, which means paying attention to some of the things that I let slide regularly: seed oils, options when dining out, dairy products and booze. It’s the A++ version of how we normally eat, and I’m excited to see the results of our efforts — whether they are dramatic or not know that I am going to be challenged with the sheer amount of food prep this month is going to require. I definitely rely on things like Post-Workout protein shakes and some pre-made convenience items right now that probably aren’t doing me any favors. Eliminating those will be different, so for me, I have to make it fun. I’ve got a calendar chock full of awesome recipes that I am SO STOKED to make, and post work out options that are fun, fancy and WAY MORE DELICIOUS than a shake. I’ve got to make it fun or I’ll want to quit.