On Eating Healthy

In the past, I always associated eating healthy everyday with being incredibly boring and not flavorful. I was definitely wrong! I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite healthy meal ideas/snacks.  I've never really been that much of an unhealthy eater.  I grew up with parents who ate healthy and I learned most of these ideas from them while growing up.  Let's break it down into categories, shall we?

Breakfast:

-Cliff Bars are one of my absolute favorite breakfast items.  My two favorites are Oatmeal Raisin and Blueberry Crunch.  I grab one on the way out the door and eat it right when I get into school while I'm doing a few things to prepare for the day.  They are a good amount of calories, protein and keep you full until snack time/lunch (some days there is no time for a mid-morning snack).

-Whole Wheat Bagel Thins.  These are delicious and cut way down on carbs because they are not as "bready" as the regular bagels.  I do a thin layer of Fat Free Cream Cheese on mine and it is delicious.

Lunch:

-Tuna Pouches.  These are the greatest things ever!  It's the perfect amount of tuna and tastes so fresh.  I take about 2 TBS. of dill relish to mix in with mine and usually just eat it like that.  Sometimes, I will take a whole wheat sandwich thin and put the tuna and relish on that for a spin on healthy tuna salad.

-Popcorn Chips.  I usually count out about 14 chips and this provides the perfect salty fix.  I also like pretzels which appeases my salty tooth.

-1 TBS. of peanut butter.  I love eating peanut butter from a spoon and so I measure out 1 TBS. and this is my little "treat" at lunch on some days.

-I try to take some kind of fruit or veggie as well.  Lately, I have rotated oranges, bananas, strawberries and blueberries.

*That's usually about all I eat for lunch.  I don't have much time to eat and I usually eat while I'm working on something.  When I'm super busy,  I don't have time to wish that I had something more to eat.

Dinner:

-One thing that has really kept me on track is eating what we want for dinner.  Now, this doesn't mean we have fast food or a "carb overload" meal.  But, if pizza sounds good, then pizza it is.  We will just make sure to make a thin crust, use more sauce instead of cheese and only eat 2 pieces.  Easy enough!

-Another for instance, I made chicken tacos in the crock pot last week.  Super easy and yummy meal - chicken breast, salsa and taco seasoning.  I bought whole wheat carb smart tortillas, a dollop of fat free sour cream and homemade guacamole with lime juice and garlic.  Delicious and mostly healthy!

-Sweet potatoes (plain) are delicious - Such an easy transition instead of white/yellow potatoes.

-Another one of our favorites lately is smoothie night.  About once a week, Ty and I get smoothies from Tropical Smoothie for dinner.  I love the Peanut Paradise - Peanuts + Banana and Whey Protein.

-I really watch my portions with dinner, allowing me to basically eat whatever sounds good.  You can put a healthy spin on most anything that sounds good!

Snacks:

-Greek yogurt is my favorite snack.  I love the FAGE blueberry or the Chobani blueberry and raspberry.

-Turkey pepperonis have a lot of protein and are very lean. They are so delicious!

-An avocado with salsa

The food listed above is currently what is on my grocery list/rotation.  I love learning about new, healthy recipes.  Let's share! What are some of your favorites?  

love, the Blair Abode

Before Picture - Ripped in 30

As promised, I'm here to share my "before" picture. I mentioned here that I was starting the Ripped in 30 challenge with Jillian Michaels.  I've got two more days of the week one workout and then I'm heading into week two on Wednesday.  Wish me luck! I'll update again soon.

Enjoy this beautiful Sunday with the ones you love...

Ripped in 30

Good Morning! Saturday, we meet again.  Your arrival is like music to my ears.  Ty and I have a super fun weekend ahead.  My Dad and Tina will be here in about an hour and we have a great day planned.  We will be grabbing a salad for lunch, exploring NWA and then hitting up our local favorite, Tavola's tonight for dinner.  We will also be feasting our eyes upon some Edward eye candy tonight while we watch Breaking Dawn Part I.  Dad and Tina have been catching up on the Twilight movies this week and they are ready to watch BD Part I.  Of course, I never object to watching!

Anyways, you're probably wondering how the title "Ripped in 30" correlates to any of this, huh?  As I've shared on the blog before, I had a total life-style change at the beginning of the new year.  I didn't want to lose any weight at all but I have noticed my body changing- not as flat of a stomach, legs looked like they were getting cellulite, etc.  This scared me to death and I hit the ground running and don't plan on ever looking back.

I joined a gym which I absolutely love - nothing is better than hitting the gym after a very long day.  My goal was to workout 5 days a week.  I'm averaging more around 6 days a week now.  I wanted to "cut back" on my coke intake - I now am 100% coke free. No cokes/sodas.  No fast food. Ever.  I will eat CFA just haven't done it yet.  Very, very few sweets.  I will have a mini snickers or one hershey kiss if I'm craving chocolate. No chips. Popcorn chips are delicious and such a good salty fix.  All of these things have been easy, smooth life style changes.  I honestly don't miss any of the stuff I listed above that I have quit eating or cut way back on.  Swear, after one week, you don't want any of that junk anymore.

I did hit a frustrating moment after one month of working out at the gym.  I was doing about 30 minutes of cardio each time I went (treadmill, arc trainer or elliptical) and a circuit of weights with some abs.  I felt like I wasn't targeting the areas I wanted to good enough.  I wasn't sure if I was pushing myself hard enough, doing everything right, etc.  I hit a moment of thinking, "I really, really want a personal trainer."  Insert Ripped in 30.  I went to Walmart and picked up Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 DVD after reading amazing reviews.

WHOA. BABY.  Seriously.  I've never worked out harder in my entire life.  It's a four week challenge.  Each week has a different workout routine that can all be done at home - it is recommended to do the video six days a week.  I'm literally soaking wet sweaty and feel like I'm dying (I mean that in the best way possible), but I feel so. so. great when it's over.  I'm half way through with week one and I love it.  I highly recommend it. She also has a 30 day meal plan to use along with it that is free to download online - complete with recipes.  The workout is a TON of squat and lunge type moves.  My legs have been so sore this week which I love because that means I'm targeting those areas I've been wanting to.  It has also taught me a ton of moves I will use from now on.  Join the Ripped in 30 challenge with me!

I plan on making weekly updates about my progress - I've got to get some "before" pictures done and will hopefully post those tomorrow.  I love using my blog as a place to journal/document my progress.  It keeps me motivated!

   

Anyone out there every done Ripped in 30?

Weekend Happenings

Our weekend was relaxing and filled with good times.  Friday night was spent at home enjoying down time after a long week.  On Saturday morning, I went to some of my favorite places around town and Ty and I went to the promenade in the afternoon followed by dinner at Houlihan's.  I found some goodies at the promenade for spring...

Skinnies from LOFT that are the perfect shade of mint. I am SO excited about these.  They come in modern fit and curvy fit.  Do yourself a favor and pick some up.. you will need them.

White skinnies with nude colored detail that makes me think of aztec under the pockets. I found these at AE and the fit is really good.  They don't seem to have as low of a rise as some of their pants.  The detail is really subtle and adds a little something extra to white skinnies!

My weekend project consisted of painting this gorgeous mirror with a coat of chalk paint.  I absolutely love how it turned out.  I didn't try to get the paint down in all the crevices which gave it the perfect distressed look that I was aiming for.  

Another weekend project that Hubs and I tackled was making puppy steps for Mo to use when getting on/off the bed.  They are turning out really, really cute and I cannot wait to share pictures!

Have a wonderful Monday, readers!

love, the Blair Abode

Confessional Friday

I really enjoyed Confessional Friday last week and decided to give it a whirl again.  I'm so glad it is the weekend.  A two day break from teaching is definitely needed and much appreciated.  Ty and I are making a habit out of doing absolutely nothing on Friday night...and I couldn't love it more.  We are also making a habit of dates on Saturday night which consist of over indulging in food and drinks... Saturday night, I am excited for you. But, weekend, please go by ever so slowly.

I confess...

+that I am obsessed (well, maybe not obsessed) with the Bachelor.  I'm so not a t.v. person..at all.  Ty and I watch HGTV on ocassion and I love the Today show (I can never watch it because I have to be at work before it starts), but that's it.  EXCEPT, this season of the Bachelor. Monday is so much better now.

Yes, please

+that I hope we do not get one flake of snow this winter.  I'm over the thought of snow and would much rather send my 2nd grade babies onto summer break earlier rather than later.

+that I still love rap music.  I liked it when I was in high school and I always assumed I would out grow it. I know it's trashy and gross, but man, it just makes me want to dance.  I heard some of my old favorites tonight at the gym on my Nelly Pandora station and I just about busted a move in the middle of the gym.

+that I want a pair of boyfriend jeans.  They look so cute on others, but I feel like when I put them on they just look baggy and ill fitting.  Here's to searching for the perfect boyfriend denim...

+that I bought a curling wand last weekend and I cannot get it mastered.  I'm sad because I had high hopes and I'm starting to think I'm much better with a regular curling iron...

+that I ate a massive orange roll from Crumpet with my lunch and it. was. delicious.

love, the Blair Abode