Sometimes that’s fun and other times I just want someone else to do the thinking for me!!

I’m linking up with the WIAW crew to share my food journal with you from Monday. Marc was off from work that day and it was SO nice to have him around the house. It made Monday extra special.

My alarm went off at 6:15am. I like that time and it wasn’t hard to get up. I made myself a quick breakfast scramble with eggs, peppers & potatoes. I also had a large glass of water while cooking and 1/2 cup of coffee. I know I’m random with the coffee but I don’t drink a lot so I’m being accurate with the 1/2 cup.

I was out the door around 7am to teach Group Power at 730am. It was nice to not have to pack Ava’s bag for childcare and worry about what she was wearing since Marc was home for the day!!! It was one less thing on my morning to do list.

Not a bad strength training workout for a pregnant lady!!

After class I came home to see Marc and Ava. I refueled with a banana immediately after the class.

Once I got home I made a Chocolate shakeology protein drink. My body needed the protein.

A little while later I had a piece of toast with an egg on top! The baby was still hungry

Marc had some projects he wanted to work on around the house so I played with Ava until I needed to go back and teach my Fit For Life class. Marc started to build a bench and shelves for our back entrance so we would have a place to put shoes and coats, etc.

We decided to eat lunch at home, probably because I was starving but also because Ava was tired and ready for a nap. I ate some leftover Lemon Chicken with a little pasta that Ava ended up eating from me

Plus 2 bowls of this AMAZING Sweet Potato soup. My mom’s friend who is a chef made it for me. That is a PERK to being pregnant. Amazing people help you satisfy your cravings. At least this was a healthy one

I had to hold myself back from a 3rd bowl because even though it tasted heavenly I was stuffed.. After lunch Marc continued to work on his projects and I did some computer work while Ava slept.

I snacked on an orange and also these green bean snacks. I’m not sure If I like them a lot or they are just salty and crunchy which is always satisfying.

While Ava was still asleep I took Cooper for a nice long walk, it was sunny and almost 50 degrees out!! I loved it.

At around 430pm we took Ava to the playground to let her get out some energy and also get fresh air. She ran around for 30 minutes straight with a giant smile on her face. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the highlight of my day.

We ate dinner around 530pm. I was too hungry to cook a new meal but I was thankful for some food prep I did this weekend. I had 2 pieces of Chicken Marsala and a Veggie burger.

This meal is not photogenic, it looks terrible but it was yummy. Don’t you hate when your plate doesn’t look appetizing???

My night snack was some grapes and a healthy brownie with a little ice cream.

I recycled this photo from Valentine’s Day because I forgot to snap a picture.

After Ava went to bed we watched the show Superstore! Have you guys watched it? We find it rather amusing and who doesn’t love a good laugh??? My night time snack was….

PS: I AM OFFICIALLY 20 weeks pregnant which means I am half way through this pregnancy… WOW!

What’s something yummy you ate this week?

Do you like when you have a night off from cooking?

Although it wasn’t pretty all my meals were tastyyyyyyyyy.

I’m linking up with the WIAW crew over on Arman’s Blog today to share my food journal with you from Monday.

Monday morning I woke up feeling pretty good. I had a 1/2 cup of coffee to get me going. Breakfast consisted of 2 scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms in olive oil and sliced potatoes. It was great morning fuel.

At 730am I taught my group power class. It kicked my butt. I refueled with 3 Shakeology Bites

scrambled eggs on a piece of whole grain toast and a banana. 

Being pregnant makes me hungrier but so does exercise. The combination is lethal.

I got ready to teach my second class Fit For Life. I told the group last week that I was pregnant but 1/2 the class wasn’t there so I had to repeat myself. It’s always awkward announcing that news, but it was funny to hear there #1 concern. Will you continue to teach?? I told them I would be there until the end. Of course as long as there weren’t any issues.

After class I came home and ate lunch with Ava. I had leftovers, no surprise there. I opted for a piece of Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Steamed Broccoli (not pictured) and one of these Sweet Potato & Spinach cakes.

I also had a handful of pistachios because they are delicious.

I had an early afternoon snack while Ava was napping and I did some computer work. I have been loving Siggi’s yogurts… I topped it with blueberries, green grapes and granola yes there’s yogurt under there. YUM!!

At 2:15pm I left for a Dr’s appointment. I had scheduled a last minute with the skin Doctor to check out some mole on the back of my leg, I have to get it removed on Friday. I kind of expected that going in so I wasn’t surprised.

Dinner was Chicken Francese with veggies & Potatoes curtesy of Bella Nonna.

Ever since becoming pregnant, cooking has become one of my least favorite things to do. I don’t know if it’s the smell, the thought of food or what but I totally dislike it right now which is not me. I have been resorting to quick and simple meals or TAKE OUT

I ate dinner early so you can bet I had a snack before bed. I had a Chocolate Zucchini muffin and a bowl of Pineapple.

I promise next week to make my pictures a little better for you, but trust me all my food was delicious. I would tell you if it stunk but it didn’t

What was something yummy you ate yesterday?

Do you ever get lazy in the kitchen?

How did that happen?? I’m super excited, but I can’t believe it is here already. I mean I guess I can, we have been watching Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas for a month now… so it makes sense that Christmas is almost here. I hope you all had a nice weekend and you have all your Christmas shopping, wrapping and errands done!!!????

I thought today would be a perfect day to share with you an article that I wrote for one of our town newspapers, The Greenwich Sentinel. It was published last week, and I was thrilled to be a part of their holiday newspaper.

You all know be my now and I love to preach healthy eating and living year round so you can sort of guess what my article had to say. While I do indulge in my favorite treats on occasion here and there I do like to be mindful of keeping a good balance.

Click on my article for more details on how to HAVE A HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON

In case it’s too hard to read from the picture link here’s the article:

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING

With the holiday season approaching, are you already thinking about how you are going to work off all the extra plates of turkey, stuffing, pies & cookies? There’s no need to add stress to your upcoming busy social schedule. Learning how to find the right balance with food will allow you to indulge in that cookie or cocktail around the holidays without doing any damage to your waistline.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a struggle, focus on moderation. If you are mindful of everything you put on your plate, you can save room for those special foods you look forward to every year!

My 4 Quick Tips on how to plan for a healthy holiday:

• Plan ahead. One of my key tips is to plan ahead. Write in your planner or your phone calendar which events you are attending and allow yourself to celebrate with 1 food or drink item at each special occasion. Remember you want to enjoy your indulgence, you don’t want to regret it. Take your time eating or drinking your special treat, and enjoy the social aspect of the holiday season.
• Exercise 30 minutes each day. Now that you have your plan, make sure you include 30 minutes of exercise on most days.  Put it in your planner and get to it. A 30 minute walk with your dog counts and of course that 60 minute Boot Camp class is even better. Stay active!
• Load your plate with an assortment of colors. Balance each day with a variety of different fruits, veggies, protein, carbs, and fats By doing so you won’t deprive your body of any nutrients, and you won’t have any guilt when you reach for that holiday cocktail!
• Enjoy your time with family & friends. Remember the holiday season isn’t just about gifts, food, desserts, and cocktails. It’s about spending time with your loved ones and enjoying the company of those around you. That’s what the holidays are all about!

Keep these tips in mind as you dive full speed into the holidays. I am confident with your focus and mindful choices you can make it through all the celebrations without adjusting a notch on your belt buckle!

Kelly Garofalo is a lifelong Greenwich resident that has a strong passion for all things health & fitness. As a Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor, Health Coach, Mom, Blog Writer (www.thefitskool.com) and health enthusiast she strives to help others achieve their wellness goals no matter what size they are.

What are your goals during the holiday season?

What’s your favorite holiday goodie to indulge in?

My day was packed with protein, I guess my body needed it!

I woke up around 530am. Crazy Cooper started howling because he heard a noise and that was it… Ava woke up and then our morning begun.
Lets just say the first thing I did before my usual water chug was get a cup of coffee. I finally got moving and whipped up this breakfast:

BREAKFAST: 2 Scrambled eggs, peppers & mushrooms with olive oil and potatoes

After training at the YMCA, I needed a mid morning snack to keep my day fueled and ate this:

SNACK: A banana and a bowl of yogurt with raspberries and crushed almonds

I met a friend for a quick walk on Greenwich Avenue and then came home to eat this:

(This is a recycled photo)

LUNCH: Tuna salad

and 2 veggie pancakes (one zucchini and one sweet potato) these are amazing!

After some computer catch up work, I was hungry again. This combo never fails:

SNACK: An apple with 2 scoops of peanut butter

I trained again in the afternoon and got home to prepare a quick and easy dinner before boot camp:

DINNER: Chicken Stir-Fry with Shitake Mushrooms, green beans, edamame & Brown Rice

After Boot Camp Class I needed something protein packed and chose this:

POST WORKOUT SNACK: Chocolate Quest Bar, Pineapple and Popcorn

That wraps things up over here. It was a yummy day of eats!

Your Turn: What’s something delicious you ate yesterday?

Are you a fan of stir-fry?

Here is my food journal from yesterday. Thanks Jenn for hosting another lovely WIAW (What I ate Wednesday).

Yesterday was a day of hunger for me. I probably could’ve eaten all day long if I let myself! Have you ever had one of those days?

Breakfast started with a cup of coffee and then 2 eggs served on top of spinach and mushrooms with a piece of oat toast. YUM.

After training I had a banana

and a bowl of oatmeal and peanut butter. Peanut butter and oats are great together!

Thank goodness for leftovers because today I was go go go and not having to think about food made it so much easier. Lunch was leftover blackened salmon, green beans, and a white potato.

In the afternoon I practiced the new Group Power workout that we are launching in a week. I was a little hungry after and had a greek yogurt with granola and strawberries. This was a bad picture, I already mixed everything together and then I realized I forgot to snap a pic.

Dinner was thrown together quickly. Roasted Chicken, Broccoli, Baked Sweet Potato, and a veggie pancake. We all, including Ava loved the veggie pancake.

After a great Boot Camp workout in last nights class I decided to try out the new Quest Protein Potato chips.

I had a handful and I thought they were good. They are light and salty which was my kind of snack but I just wasn’t feeling it and decided I wanted something else.

Marc made me some pan fried plantains in Coconut oil. This definitely won. It totally hit the spot!!

That’s about it for my WIAW post!!

Ava’s ready to Rock for New Years

I hope you all have a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

Do you have any fun New Year’s Eve plans? or will you be asleep before the ball drops?

What is something yummy that you ate yesterday?

Today I am linking up with Jenn for quick WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday) post.

I am sharing my food journal from Monday to give you a different look at my food, since my schedule is different on Mondays.

I wake up bright and early on Mondays and I typically try to have my food and snacks ready to go, so that I don’t have to rush around like a mad woman.

My breakfast was 1 egg, 2 egg whites scrambled with spinach & mushrooms.. with some potatoes in olive oil plus extra salt. I always do extra salt because I have 2 morning classes that I teach. I also drank a Pumpkin Coffee

After Group Power I immediately refuel with a Coffee Protein Shake. I also have a banana and 2 big old spoons of peanut butter. 

My next class is my senior class from 1030-1130am. They were so sweet and bought be a Rose & a bottle of Champagne for the holidays!

Believe it or not I sweat a good amount in my senior class and I leave class hungry again. Lunch is leftovers.. we were trying to get rid of all the food in our fridge before we headed to Rhode Island! We don’t waste food in our house. My meal was simple and plain… Rotisserie Chicken, Green beans, & Sweet Potatoes with butter. 

I also ate a string cheese and some baby carrots (i didn’t take pictures because I was too hungry)

After running some errands I realized I was hungry again. I ate a quick greek yogurt parfait with granola and blueberries.. Man do I love blueberries. I wish they didn’t cost a fortune for a small container that I could eat in 3 seconds.

I also ate a delicious Sugar Cookie to balance out all my healthy eating.

Thanks to my mom, I didn’t have to cook dinner! She made some Turkey Chili that we ate with some tortilla chips. It is the Doc’s Chili recipe from the BIggest Loser. If you haven’t tried it you definitely should, we love it. I turned my family onto this chili recipe when I was living at home and it has become a staple dinner recipe in our family!

 My night finished off wrapping some Christmas Gifts with Marc.

What are your plans for Christmas?!

Will you work out?

I stumbled on this Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Chili from Olena at IFOODREAL.com. I was sold at the title of the recipe alone! Olena has some other delicious clean eating recipes on her site, I highly recommend you take a look!!

I love taking recipes and adjusting them to my liking, so I switched out a few things and made some substitutions based on what we had available in my kitchen!

Chilis are an easy way to toss in extra veggies, so I amped it up with some butternut squash & peppers and omitted the beans because I don’t always feel like beans in my chili. It turned out FABULOUS. Marc and I loved every bite. It tastes just like you are eating chicken wings minus the extra calories

We had it for dinner twice, this time we topped it with Cheddar cheese.

BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI

1lb lean ground chicken breast

1 tsp olive oil

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 cup carrots chopped

1 cup celery chopped

1 cup butternut squash (I used frozen chunks)

1 cup  diced mixed peppers

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp parika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce (Optional)

DIRECTIONS:  In a large pot saute the celery and carrots in olive oil for 6-8mins on medium high heat. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Let cook for 10 minutes and mix. Turn heat down to low/medium and cook for another 10-15 minutes, mixing occasionally.

If you didn’t mix in the hot sauce, drizzle some on top and with whole grain chips! This would also be great with a little blue cheese.

This recipe will be made again and again.. I like it more then the buffalo chicken dip recipe that’s floating around out there and it is much HEALTHIER!!

And here is a picture of Cooper to make you smile. He’s clearly trying to get some attention.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Do you watch football with your husband/family?

What is your favorite appetizer/chili recipe to make during football season??

It’s time to share with you my daily eats. I am linking up with Jenn again for a What I ate Wednesday post!!

Yesterday I posted on Tips to eliminate the sugar overload from Halloween, so I stuck with clean eating yesterday and I feel great today.

 

 

I heated it up in the microwave and it tasted like a warm chocolatey brownie 

I am linking up again with Jenn to share What I ate! I challenge you to join in next week.

I was home sick with Ava on Monday so I literally had a lot of time to kill. After I taught Group Power that morning I baked, I cooked and did a lot of other random things that I normally don’t get to do on a Monday. Lets just say my extra food prep on Monday made my life easier for the week.

For Breakfast I had a leftover baked potato with spinach and 2 over easy eggs on top. It seems like on Tuesdays this breakfast is a staple… so get used to it. It was perfect and SO filling.

Around mid-morning my stomach was rumbling and I opted for an AMRAP bar

and a banana. YUM! This snack did a great job holding me over until lunch.

I chose some leftover Parmesan & lemon crusted Tilapia for lunch! I seriously don’t think I can get sick of this fish. It is light, refreshing and fresh parsley is amazing.

 I also had some leftover brussel sprouts & zucchini and a granny smith apple!

My afternoon snack came a little earlier. I had some baby carrots, a pumpkin & oat cookie (recipe to come),

and some of this trail mix

My dinner was a throw together quick meal. A turkey burger with cheese topped over baby spinach, tomatoes, avocado, cucumburs, & brown rice. With a sweet potato on the side!

Post Boot Camp I opted for a protein shake

Cooper decided to hop in the picture!

and then I made a batch of roasted plantains that Marc and I snacked on while watching some TV! It was a great balance of Carbs & Protein for a post workout snack 

I am super pumped because today is actually like my Thursday!!  We are heading to Newport early Friday morning for one of my best friends weddings! I can’t wait.

What was something yummy that you ate yesterday? 

Do you like brussel sprouts?

My breakfast staple is a couple of over easy eggs with sauteed spinach and some potato hashbrowns! Runny eggs have so much flavor! I had a Dunkin coffee too

After training a couple of clients I was quite hungry and snacked on a Banana & Coconut Larabar. It helped keep me full for a bit.

I also Snacked on some carrots & salted cucumbers with hummus… I was clearly still hungry.

Lunch rolled around and I was fortunate for some leftovers from dinner Sunday.. Blackened Salmon, Sweet Potatoes & Green beans. I have been loving salmon lately.. we finally mastered how to cook it!! I took a picture of all the food on one plate but it came out terrible.

With my lunch I had this Mama Chia, Green Magic Pouch. It has pretty good flavor!

It was a very “SNACKY” day on my part… what Marc likes to call my grazing days. I had a Macintosh Apple with some peanut butter for another snack.

Dinner was Chicken Cacciatore with some Pasta & a side of Broccoli. Mmmmmm

After boot camp I whipped up a Pumpkin Pie Protein shake. I was quite impressed! It may have been just a tad bit too “pumpkiny” so I may need to tweak the spices a bit before I share the recipe.

That’s a wrap…

what did you eat? Do you ever have snacky days?

Check out more WIAW posts at Peas and Crayons blog