rejuv

Week 1: Treadmills, Coffee and an iPhone 6.

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Consistency, Passion and the luxury of a schedule change have been on my side this week.  My first full week back at the gym and clean eating and I’m already seeing some great results.  I may seem a bit obsessive about workouts, eating, journaling and more, but it’s what is keeping me going.

I started the week late for a session, no diary written down and just a mess.  I had the desire, but apparently not the organization.  After 6 pages of “this is not how you succeed” in text messeges from my trainer, and a rearrangement of my schedule I was finally set up for success.  Now it was totally in my court.

I weighed in on Monday and by my Thursday session, I weighed in at a 2.6 lb loss.  This is great, now just to keep it off, if not make that number larger for a full week weigh-in this monday.  I’m still arguing with my trainer about coffee with creamer and the carbs that follow suit.  Still sippin’ my joe. but looking for a good creamer alternative.

My iPhone 4s took a total dump when I updated to ios 8.0..which i think in the long run became a blessing in disguise.  The iPhone 6 with My Fitness Pal is the best ever.  I really like this app. It connects with my trainer and other friends that use it  Plus, the camera on the iPhone 6 is the bomb dot com. You can quote me on that.

 

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1/2 of today's prep #cleaneating #syntha-6 #eattrainlose

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Falling Down and NOT Running Away

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Sometimes things happen.  Sometimes things are Life. Other times things aren’t things. They are just one thing.  They are just one letter; I

Work didn’t tell me to skip the gym.  My son didn’t tell me to eat pizza instead of the lunch I brought.  My husband definitely didn’t tell me to skip doing work and play games on my iphone.  Nope.

What we have here is a failure to commit.  But why?

Ok, let’s rewind about two months:

I’m gung ho! I’m rarin’ to go!  I’ve got my supplements.  I’ve shopped.  My training sessions are scheduled.

One day gets stressful and I seek the typical head in the sand escape.  I cancel on Ben at Rejuv.  I don’t eat my lunch or really anything at all.  I’m running late and blame the world.

I’m afraid.  I don’t know why.  I’m totally fearless with so many things, but when it comes to weight loss and commitment to myself, I run scared and it takes me weeks to figure out that I’m running.

Then it’s the lunch lady sized ladle of steaming hot self guilt.  “Will they just shake their heads at me?”  “Will they think less of me?”  “Am I a total failure?”  “Who have I let down now?”  “How can I hide my total embarassment and self pity from everyone, they can’t see me like this!”

I work in a career where my life is in the open for all to see.  Sometimes I have to appear super happy even when I’m not.  I have to be the life of the party.  90% of the time, I am happy and ready to party, but there’s that 10% of the time that I question if people will not like me as much if they only knew that I fall down on the road to progress alot. This is where negative self talk destroys me.

This has been a pattern in my life for years.  Back in college, I was a Computer Science Major.  I loved learning code, JAVA, C++, etc.  However, even though I was good at it, I was even better at correcting other people’s incorrect coding.  This is just like my weight loss journey.

I know what to do.  I can even help others on their road.  I have the answers.  I just can’t seem to execute them for myself. The only thing I can think of is that by helping others, I’m not committing to anything. I’m just swooping in and doing what I love in short bursts.

Weight loss for me can’t be a hobby. It can’t be an every now and then thing.  I need to keep my head out of the sand and make this a career.  I know that I can do this. I did it before I had Timothy. Losing the weight after baby?  So much harder mentally.  I’m strongly thinking of joining the weekly support group at Rejuv Medical calling “Breaking Barriers”.  It might be just what I need to finally COMMIT to this LIFESTYLE of health.

Hockey & Nuts..two of my favorite things (Chile Lime Almond Recipe included)

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Just outside the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, ND.

Just outside the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, ND.

So it was another balmy weekend in Grand Forks, ND.  Known as Home of the Fighting Sioux and constant potato ass smell from the Simplot Factory.   Sorry, that was offensive.  The NCAA says I have to say “North Dakota Athletics”.  I digress.

My husband and I are proud supporters of UND especially the hockey program. We, along with my Mother and Father In-Law and Brother In-law and his wife, have season tickets to Men’s hockey at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.  It’s a great way to get me home to see my mom and family back in North Dakota that I wouldn’t see half as much and we absolutely love hockey.  So it’s a win-win.  Then there’s weekend’s like this last one.  -16 Degrees TEMP.  Icicles have icicles at this point.  balls.

As much as I dread the “Tundra Shuffle”, the shuffling of feet while you pull all other appendages into your body like a turtle with your freezing breath barreling out of you like a factory on overtime, once you step in to the wonder of “The Ralph” you forget about the rest of the world.  You are standing a midst legends in the College Hockey World.  From the memorabilia on the walls, to the smell of Bavarian Roasted Almonds and Prime Rib Sandwiches, you are here.  This isn’t just a hockey game, it’s like a family reunion with 11,000 of your closest friends.  You fork over your 50/50 ticket cash, take your seat and it’s on!  I wouldn’t change it for the world.  However, when you’re trying to eat clean and lose weight, prime rib sandwiches, Dippin’ Dots, beer, beer and more beer don’t help matters.

BLOG_HOCKEY 2I settled for a Diet Coke that night while my husband partook in the customary silver bullet.  It was the first sweep at home for the Sioux this season and we were so happy to be there.

All weekend long it was holiday baking, eating out, late nights and luckily a few naps.  This is great, but again eating clean and fitness were nowhere to be found.  I’m getting ready to be spending a full week out at the lake and I’m going to have to get a gameplan together to keep my goals on track.  Let’s be honest, staying on a clean eating and fitness track when everyone is singing songs about figgy pudding isn’t easy.  I don’t even know what figgy pudding is, but if it’s Christmas, I’ll eat it.  herein lies the problem.  I’m like the 100 lb Labrador that thinks it’s a Chihuahua, only instead of sitting on people’s laps, I will eat just about anything in sight at such speed I myself might even question it’s happening.

oy.

So, I’ve started putting together a few projects like the Arm-Knitting Scarf Pin, Zippered-Wristlet Tutorial, PJ Pants for Timothy, and even finish my Strip Quilt I started.  There will inevitably be a few culinary adventures as well.  I really want to try this Hearty Roasted Vegetable Recipe 🙂

Last night I made a bunch of Oreo Cookie Balls…you know the Crushed Oreos mixed with Cream Cheese then dipped in chocolate confectionery balls of heaven.  Yeah..about that.  I’m not going to lie, I ate a few whilst creating my masterpieces, but I decided to also partake in a Pin I saw a week or so ago.  Chile Lime Roasted Almonds. BOOM!  I like them alot, but I shouldn’t have tried to eat them right after the Oreo balls…nothing tastes as good as skinny fee….shut up. Oreo balls taste amazing.

So I spent my night making balls and nuts. (insert laughter and random joke here)

Now you can too…enjoy!

Chile Lime Roasted Almonds

Note: I think I was short a few almonds..so I wound up with a little too much mixture on them…I may look to decrease in the future.  I also maybe could have roasted them longer!

Food Prep: Mason Jar Salads

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This is a great idea! It’s so simple, yet isn’t it always the simple things that we never seem to think of? I’m taking the Rejuv Shopping Tour to review Clean Eating & Paleo options next Wednesday, Dec 11th at 7pm. If you want to join me call Rejuv at (320) 281-5100 to sign up! I would love to have you there too! ❤

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”

Or at least in my case you do!

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I have a really hard time with cravings. It’s probably my biggest challenge when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. One thing that I recently tried is planning my meals for the week. This personally helps me tremendously. While browsing Pinterest one day I stumbled upon these adorable (and totally genius) mason jar salads. Prep all at once, and eat healthy for the week! Perfect! Here’s what I put in mine:

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Southwest Salad
-romaine
-southwest blend cheese
-southwest corn blend
-chopped green peppers
-shredded carrots
-quinoa
-ranch
-BBQ sauce

When it comes to the dressing, I found a zero calorie ranch dressing that actually looks pretty clean, and a BBQ sauce that’s low in sodium!

Summer Poppyseed Salad
-romaine
-strawberries
-pineapple
-mandarin oranges
-quinoa
-poppyseed dressing

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Tips
-Dressing first, Greens last!
-Put…

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Winter Weather calls for Winter Food and fun

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Timothy trying out his snowpants for the first time!

Timothy trying out his snowpants for the first time!

So mother nature has decided to grace us with anywhere from 7 to 11 inches of new snow here in the next 24-28 hours.  It’s the thick, heavy & wet snow that is PERFECT for making snowballs and snowmen.  It is also perfect for getting your car stuck and socks wet.  I guess you get good with the bad and vice versa.

Growing up with my mother, food was always in abundance.  The second the Weather Guy would mention snow, she would load me up in the car and we’d be off to the grocery store.  You can only imagine the “apocalyptic style mania” that all Midwest grocery stores have during the pre-storm period. The crazy part of this whole phenomenon is that we always ended up buying MORE than what we usually would, and not just in quantity, but in variety.  I don’t think I ever ‘survived’ a Minnesota/North Dakota snowstorm without Queso & Chips, Chili, Spaghetti & meatballs, Doritos, Oreos, something home baked and a mother load of Diet Coke.  It was honestly like we were getting ready to have our last meal.  Only instead of looking like a sad depiction of a woman who’s circumstances were gruesome, it would be a young overweight woman who died with a Minh Pork Egg Roll in one hand and the remote control in the other after the storm took out the cable.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not blaming my mother or the way we ate for my “husky” (which by the way I hate when people call me husky).   The majority of my weight came on as an adult when I was in total control of everything I ate.  I use the word ‘control’ loosely.

BEEF NOODLE SOUP_bowlHaving just restarted my journey back to health, fitness and babyville, I wanted to still get that comfort that I remember, but not kill every ounce of my work at this.  So, I decided on a Beef Noodle soup.  I know what you’re thinking, “Babs, soup really isn’t that healthy”.  Well, I would agree with you, if you’re buying it in the can, package, box, or frozen.  If you are making it, soup takes on a new role in a healthy diet.  It’s comforting, it’s tasty, it’s inexpensive per serving and it’s freezable.

So while my husband finished up the Christmas lights (this round of them) with the help of our jolly little man, Timothy, I started chopping.  6 years ago we received a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer for our wedding and the pasta attachment.  BEST. GIFT. EVER.

So I opted to make homemade Whole Wheat Egg Noodles.  They turned out great.  I watched the sodium and fat in this soup by using EVOO and Low sodium Beef Broth rather than Bouillon and added 2 FRESH Bay Leaves and about a tsp of Italian Seasoning to the mix.  Right before serving, I added fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.  It turned out great and after portioning it out into containers for my lunches, today proved it was EVEN BETTER the next day!

Here’s a quick synopsis if you want to take a crack at this Clean Eating Pot of Goodness!

BEEF NOODLE SOUP_spoon1Beef Noodle Soup (clean)

  • 1.5 lbs stew beef
  • 2 16oz containers of Low Sodium Beef Broth
  • 3 large carrots chopped
  • 3-4 stalks of celery chopped
  • 1 medium/large yellow onion chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1-2 T of EVOO
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt / pepper to taste
  • Balsamic Vinegar to taste (adds a zing/tang)
  • Whole Wheat Egg Noodles (Whole Wheat Flour, 3 eggs, dash of water) Or store bought.

1.  Heat the EVOO in a Dutch Oven/French Oven ( this is mine)

2.  add the garlic and cook a few moments before adding the beef

3.  add pepper and a splash of balsamic to the beef, cook then scoop out beef in to a bowl and set aside.

4.  Using the juices left from the beef, add the carrots, onions, celery and bay leaves to the pot and cook about 5 mins ( stirring so not to burn)  If your pan is too dry, feel free to add a splash of beef stock and scrape up the bits from the bottom.

5.  Add the rest of the beef stock and beef back into the pot and bring to a light boil. then reduce heat, cover and let simmer. add a splash or two of Balsamic Vinegar if needed (to taste)

6. Add the fresh whole wheat egg noodles about 5-10 mins before you’re ready to serve, just add them, stir it around and let it continue to lightly simmer covered.

7. Stir in a good 1/2 – 3/4 cup of chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley right before serving.

Enjoy!

Reppin’ and Nappin’ (6am Workout / Day 1)

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So as I drug my tired ass self into the gym this morning at 6:04 for my 6:00 appointment, the first words out of my trainers mouth were, “Let’s get you on the scale”.  This is about the point I contemplated faking a ruptured appendix and fleeing.

I am not normally afraid of the scale, nor do I usually avoid it.  On a typical day, I will weigh myself multiple times just to see the crazy fluctuation that I will have in single day.  Neurotic? Maybe. However, I think it’s fun and I tell myself it’s for the better of science and mankind. I digress.

Of course, as I stood on the scale, sans shoes thank you very much, there it was staring me in the face:  Green Bean Casserole and Pumpkin Pie.

Now, before you go and freak out, no there wasn’t a single fatty carb in sight, just a big fat number that was 4 lbs higher than 1.5 weeks ago.  Shit just got real.

This is the point where my outgoing, fun bubbly self turns in to an ostrich with my head in the sand.  No eye contact here, just a slight shuffle of my feet and hushed mumblings of absurdities.  After a quick reality check with Ben, he looked at me, said “ok, let’s do this” and we went on to workout.

Not really sure if this early am workout thing is for me, I honestly fell asleep on the way home at a red light, then again in my car, parked in my garage.   Usually, even after early morning workouts, I’m totally pumped up, but today I was contemplating whether or not single arm rows had just given me mononucleosis.  Then I remembered they kicked not kissed my ass.