I love keeping a food journal to share with you all, it keeps me motivated to get creative and also eat healthy throughout the day.
I was very satisfied with all my food choices on Monday. All my meals were tasty & filling so I thought it would be a good What I ate Wednesday post to share with you.
Monday morning I woke up early and chugged a tall glass of water. I was kinda sleepy so I also chugged some coffee with a splash of milk.
I whipped up my staple breakfast, 2 Eggs +2 Egg Whites, sauteed spinach & whole grain toast.
I headed out the door around 7:10am to teach my Group Power class at the YMCA. I got home around 9am and refueled with a Vanilla PB&J Protein Shake (It had vanilla shakeology, almond milk, PB2 & Strawberries in it) it was soo good.
Around 10am I headed back to the Y to teach my Fit For Life class. We had 20 people which was awesome and it was a great workout as usual. My Lunch came around 12:15pm I had leftover Turkey & Veggie Chili with brown rice, avocado and also baby carrots.
After computer & blog work I snacked on an Apple with Peanut Butter.
My favorite meal of the day was dinner. I made a Meatloaf with mushrooms & peppers, we also had some Rosemary Potatoes and yellow squash.
This picture doesn’t do the meal and justice the potatoes were so yummy and the meatloaf melted in my mouth!!! It was also a great pre workout dinner.
For a little night time snack I wanted something sweet & salty. So I had several handfuls of blueberries and a bunch of plantain chips. I think we need to buy plantain chips in bulk, we can’t keep them in our pantry
Lets face it, I think we all crave junk food from time to time and I’m all about finding foods or creating healthier swaps for my cravings so that I can still enjoy the flavors & foods that I love.
After several requests from blog readers and clients. I have decided to put together a few “healthier” junk food swaps for you!
HEALTHIER JUNK FOOD SWAPS
SKINNY POP I think popcorn is my ultimate favorite “salty” snack. I almost always make homemade popcorn with Marc at home because those bags of microwave popcorn usually contain chemicals and unneccesary ingredients. We probably eat popcorn once a week!
So although I prefer to make my own popcorn, Skinny Pop has WOWED me with their product. It only has a few ingredients and it’s so tasty!
VITA-TOPS I keep Vita-Tops in my freezer for my “Chocolate” cravings. Usually when I crave chocolate I want ice cream or a brownie. These little muffin tops are loaded with vitamins & fiber and definitely satisfy that craving when it hits.
PLANTAIN CHIPS To replace a potato chip craving, another salty snack I keep on hands is Plantain chips. Ava has grown to love them too and she snacks on them a lot. I buy these at Stop & Shop and they only contain plantains, oil, and salt. I also love the Trader Joe’s brand too! They are tasty & filling.
LATE JULY CHIPS & SALSA In the summer time I find myself wanting Chips & Salsa or guacamole. Late July chips are low in fat, they contain omega 3’s, and they pair well with this organic salsa from Stop & Shop.
PROTEIN BITES I keep protein bites in the freezer and I try to make them on a regular basis because they satisfy my carb, protein and sweet craving. My two favorites are Fudgy Protein Bites & Cookie Dough protein bites. I usually add peanut butter to mine and they are very satisfying when you are looking for a filling snack.
TURKEY HILL FROZEN YOGURT Last but not least, ICE CREAM. Well actually frozen yogurt. There are so many brands of ice cream/yogurt out there but this one has only 90 Calories per serving, contains probiotics and has a good mix of flavors. I’m sure a healthier version of ice cream will make you smile on a hot summer day without feeling like you did any damage!
I have more healthier junk food swaps that I will be posting in the near future
Do you have any healthy Junk food swaps to share?
If you had to choose one junk food item to eat what would it be?
I don’t really dread Mondays at all, but I don’t like ending a weekend of fun. Do you feel the same?
Friday in the late afternoon my co-worker Stephanie dropped her Dog Barley off for the weekend. They had a weekend trip planned for a wedding, and Barley was ours to watch and care for. I have to admit I was overly excited to dogsit Barley because Cooper absolutely loves her.
They play/wrestle with each other for hours on end and it definitely makes taking care of a dog and a toddler100x easier.
Ava got to play in her new sandbox that her Grandpa bought her. She was not happy when it was time to get out and had so much fun playing with the toys. Covering them with sand entertained her the most.
Friday night was a nice low key night for us. We hung out at home and grilled an easy dinner and relaxed. We all woke up early Saturday morning, ate a quick breakfast and then took Cooper & Barley for a 30 minute walk and let them run around the field for 30 minutes.
When we got home they were both exhausted but I know they had fun.
I’m glad we got their exercise in early because it started to get pretty hot. We decided to take a ride over to my parents to let Ava splash around in the pool. I enjoyed having my feet in their too!
Ava is learning how to blow bubbles in the water.
After lunch, I decided to take Barley for a run. She is super behaved on the leash I figured I would let her get some alone time. I think I may have had more fun then she did. I hadn’t run in a very long time and it felt great.
Around 2:45pm I left for my friends surprise baby Shower in Hamden, CT
It was such a lovely shower for my friend Kelly, with just her closest friends. We had fun playing some games and eating delicious food!
This game was interesting. We had to guess who each of these famous men were in the pictures. It was surprisingly hard!
Sunday we basically repeated our Saturday morning with a big breakfast and a long walk with the dogs. It was so humid out I was sweating within the first few minutes!
Ava was straight up relaxing in her stroller.
Since I was all sweaty I wanted to do a quick Insanity Max30 workout before I showered. I popped in a cardio challenge DVD and started working hard. At about 13 1/2 minutes into the workout my upper inner thigh started bothering me so I stopped.
I felt it after my run Saturday but didn’t think anything of it. I was so MAD I had to stop the DVD because mentally I wanted to keep going but I wasn’t going to push myself and cause a minor pain to become a more serious injury.
It kinda dampened my mood but I got over it quickly. Marc made some delicious grilled chicken for lunch.
His grilled chicken is always amazing.
In the afternoon we went to Greenwich Ave in attempt to let Ava play on the playground and let the dogs run on the field, but there was a soccer game going on so we just walked with them around Greenwich Avenue until we were all too sweaty and hot.
For dinner we got take out Thai Food. I loved every bite!! Ava ate all the carrots out of my Brown Chicken Dish but I’m glad that she at least enjoyed part of it!
That pretty much wraps up our weekend!
What did you do this weekend?
Have you ever cut a workout short because of a muscle strain?
First off, HAPPY FRIDAY!! High five for 4-day work weeks
The weather around here is supposed to be pretty nice today & tomorrow so I’m excited to be outside and hopefully play with Ava in the pool at her Grandparent’s house! She gets so excited when you say POOL!
We are dog sitting my friend’s dog Barley this weekend. I think I sense doggie love when Cooper is around her. He literally smiles so big and wags his tail for hours & hours. It’s pretty fun to watch them play together.
Ava enjoys giving them treats too!
Besides dog sitting I have a secret party I can’t really talk about. If I gave you details the person might find out! Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up!
Anyways, last night before Boot Camp I whipped up a SUPER EASY Chili recipe that took me about 3 minutes to throw together. So any lazy chefs out there, feel free to give this recipe a go because there’s no prep involved and its very healthy!
This chili doesn’t have beans and that’s because I wasn’t in the mood, but feel free to add a can of whatever beans you like it would be delicious.
We served this chili over a little brown rice and I topped it with Avocado. If you are a cheese lover, cheddar cheese goes great and for added spice sliced jalapeños would kick it up a notch.
Easy Peasy Turkey & Veggie Chili Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1lb Ground Turkey
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1/2 bag of frozen butternut squash chunks
1/2 bag of frozen mixed bell pepper strips
2 tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Garlic
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
DIRECTIONS:
Drizzle oil in a large pot on medium heat, add ground turkey break it up as it cooks. Let cook for 5 minutes until evenly browned. Add in spices & mix. Add in diced tomatoes, squash & peppers plus the water. Mix well. Let cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes. Enjoy with sliced Avocado, Cheese, or salsa over Brown Rice or a corn tortilla!
I usually choose simple meals before boot camp for the pure fact that I am jumping around like a crazy woman instructing and working out. Bland foods are usually preferred but I was really in the mood for chili so I went with it.
About 2 minutes into the warm up I got a big cramp in the side of my stomach but I fought through it and it was totally WORTH IT!! I’m still happy I ate that chili it gave me great energy, but now I know why I usually choose bland foods.
Okay enough rambling over here, it’s time to head to work. I hope you all have a great weekend!
Do you like chili? If so, do you like it spicy?
Are there certain foods you can’t eat before a workout?
Yesterday was a great day for me. Not all days are smooth running with a Toddler, so when Ava is happy and the weather is nice there’s really nothing to complain about!
Speaking of yesterday, I thought of this blog topic around 3pm when I got hit with a waive of exhaustion. I wanted to sit…. actually I wanted to lay down and take a nap. This doesn’t happen that often but chasing around Ava for hours, teaching fitness classes, and training clients will make you want to kick your feet up at the end of the day!
I realized I don’t sit a lot on any given day. The only time I sit is if I’m driving my car or Ava’s napping. Even when I think I am going to sit down for a meal it’s usually 5 minutes.
By the end of the day, when Ava goes to bed at 730pm that’s my time to sit and relax. Well not really, on some nights I do laundry, clean up the house, take Cooper for a walk, run to the grocery store, or get organized for the next day. Clearly there’s not a lot of sitting when its all said and done.
I’m by no means complaining here, I’m SUPER happy to be standing and I’m even more happy that I don’t sit behind a desk. I wasn’t made to sit and I really hate when I am stuck sitting for too long in a car, airplane, meeting, work event, etc.
I worked almost 3 years at an investment bank and I spent about 50+ hours a week there. I was sitting 90% of the time which means I was only standing for about 5+ hours during the day, that’s pretty nuts. I would get antsy and try t0 get up frequently to go for a walk, get fresh air outside, and use the restroom even if it was just to get up but that wasn’t enough.
Now I’m helping other’s while keeping active myself. WIN-WIN.
I read an article in my IDEA Fitness Journal, the title was “SIT LESS, MOVE MORE.”
“People who spend a lot of time sitting each day experience greater health risks than those who do not. Perhaps more surprisingly, physical activity doesn’t seem to offer much benefit.”
(IDEA, Fitness Journal April 2015)
I found this to be quite interesting. It made me think of others who are stuck behind a desk and are forced to sit for majority of the day.
For those of you who do work in an office or are behind a desk all day, do you take frequent breaks to get up and stretch or go for a walk? How do you keep active outside of work?
I’m loving that it’s already Wednesday, how about you?! I think we should always have 4 day work weeks
I debated on which day of my food journal to share with you guys today. I really wanted to share with you my Memorial Day eats but I forgot to snap a bunch of pictures so that didn’t work.
I’m linking up with Jenn and the What I Ate Wednesday Crew to share my food journal from yesterday!
I woke up nice and early on Tuesday and immediately started getting organized for the day. I drank a glass of water and then poured myself a cup of french vanilla coffee with a splash of milk. I had plenty of time to cook myself breakfast but I was starving, so I resorted to my usual… 2 eggs + extra egg whites, sautéed spinach with olive oil & whole grain toastplus some watermelon.
I headed to the YMCA shortly after to train some of my clients. They got in some fabulous workouts and everyone was working hard.
I was starving for some reason so I quickly ate a banana
and then had some oatmeal with almond milk & peanut butter.
My lunch came early. I don’t know why I was so hungry yesterday but I couldn’t help but eat! I chose a leftover salad with grilled chicken, peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, & mozzarella cheese. This picture looks a little messy but it was SO tasty. I also had some baby carrots with it.
With my lunch I snacked on a Coconut Chia Bar! I love these little things but I secretly wish they were double the size.
Since this was a day of hunger I knew I needed a snack that would keep me full. Thank goodness for protein shakes right? I had a Vanilla Shakeology with a scoop of peanut butter & a granny smith apple.
Dinner was my favorite meal of the day. On Boot Camp nights I always eat something simple. I had a grilled turkey burger topped with avocado and over some baby spinach and of course a baked Sweet Potato w/ a little butter on the side! There’s something so satisfying about avocado on a turkey burger!! TRY IT!
I wasn’t hungry after class. Normally I would drink a protein shake but I just couldn’t get myself to make one. I ending up cutting up some ripe plantains.
I pan roasted them with a little canola oil and Marc enjoyed them with me.
I was so excited to watch the first episode of Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell last night it’s such a motivating and inspiring show. However, I didn’t make it up for the last 45 minutes!! I can’t stay up until 11pm on weeknights so I will have to watch the rest on demand. Don’t tell me what the twins look like!
After a long weekend and a few indulgences, I felt the need to share with you guys some of my treats!
I don’t like to have a “CHEAT DAY.” I just don’t believe in it. I like to treat myself when my body is telling me its okay. This isn’t every day or every weekend but I don’t deprive myself of things I want, I just limit it. I would probably feel so gross if I gave myself 1 day to eat as much junk as I wanted. I would hate the way I felt after and probably have a stomach ache and never want to do it again.
This past weekend I had a few more treats then usual but I worked my butt of in the gym last week and to be honest I’m not trying to lose weight so I wanted to make sure I took in extra calories. While I could’ve chose a few healthier snacks I let my cravings take over a bit and I enjoyed every second
Saturday morning part of my pre-boot camp meal was 1/2 of a Chocolate Chip Muffin and 1/2 of a Strawberry frosted donut fromDunkin Donuts.Marc and I did a little split and Ava also had a few bites. (her first time having a bite of a donut)
Talk about PURE SUGAR!
I also ate 2 eggs, spinach and 1 piece of whole grain toast. I woke up with a crazy appetite and I went with my sugar craving. It’s a good thing your body processes carbs better first thing in the morning because I loaded up!
My other indulgence this weekend was wine! (this was an old pic, my other one came out terrible)
Besides those few treats, I ate tons of grilled veggies, fresh fruit, lean meats and healthy carbs like sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, & potato salad.
So although I had my “TREATS” I didn’t eat anything else that I would consider unhealthy and I never thought twice about the muffin or the donut or the wine. I didn’t go over board and because of that, I never felt bloated, uncomfortable or the least bit upset with my choices.
The point of this post is to let you know that no one eats a perfect diet. I like my approach and it allows me to eat healthy 90% of the time and my 10% gives me a little leeway to eat whatever I want. Although I post tons of healthy stuff on this blog I’m still normal and I still like to enjoy food & life but in moderation!
I’m all about being outside, especially now that the weather is warmer. On Saturday I taught an outdoor boot camp class and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Even though it felt chilly to start we warmed up within minutes.
It always feels nice to get a great workout finished early in the morning!
We had new neighbors moving in Saturday so we spent most of the afternoon hanging around the house and helping them move a washer/dryer in.
Our dinner came on the early side because we didn’t really eat much in the afternoon. I grilled up some Pesto Chicken, zucchini, and we had some sweet potatoes with it. Pesto is my best friend in the summer time and I’m pretty sure you will be seeing a lot more of it, so get used to it!
Once Ava fell asleep for the night (7pm woohoo) Marc and I sat on the Porch and sipped on a glass of Cabernet, it was quite delicious and nice to relax such a beautiful night!
We also snacked on some popcorn and finished our night with the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy which was GREAT! I’m slightly obsessed with that show, if I haven’t told you that before.
Sunday started off a little slow in our house. Ava got to watch some TV for a while because I woke up with a migraine. I get them from time to time and this one was pretty brutal. I initially started thinking that my day was ruined and I really didn’t want to be stuck inside on such a sunny day.
I decided to take some medicine and within an hour I felt like a million bucks. I’m always hesitant to take medicine but I’m super thankful I did! I felt like a normal human being again!
Around 9am we took Cooper and Ava for a walk on Greenwich Avenue and then let them both run around on the field. It’s so fun to watch Ava chase Cooper and let her explore the park on her own.
We dropped Cooper off after the walk and headed to the beach, we didn’t want to waste any time! Ava loves playing in the sand and she actually sat on the beach towel for a solid 20 minutes straight. It was nice to just relax and watch her pile sand on my legs.
There weren’t that many people on the beach so that was pretty awesome too. Ava started getting fussy and threw a small tantrum so we new it was time to get her lunch and a NAP!
Ava took a fairly long nap in the afternoon, and while she slept Marc headed to a friend’s Birthday BBQ. Around 3pm we all went over to my parents for a BBQ. I love BBQ food and I think it’s because the foods are so simple and extra tasty when they are grilled. We had hamburgers, corn on the cob, salad, and potatoes!
We all had fun being outside for the majority of the day and seeing Cooper & Ava smile!
My dad bought Ava a big pool, so she had fun playing in it while he set sit up. She clearly couldn’t wait for him to put water in!
Now I am heading to the YMCA to teach an early Memorial Day Group Power class before we attend our last BBQ of the weekend at the beach!
It’s easy to forget what Memorial Day is all about so lets take the time to remember those people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.
Good Morning and Happy Friday! I hope you all have something fun planned for the long weekend. It feels nice knowing we have the extra day to relax and hang out with family & friends!
Tonight we will be heading to Marc’s softball game and then I have a Boot Camp Class schedule for 9:15 Saturday morning if you would like to join us
In case you missed my post yesterday about my amazing client transformation and Sheila’s tips on “How she stocks a healthy kitchen,” please check it out!
I wanted to share some things I have been loving this week with you guys!
On Wednesday Ava and I headed to a new park in Greenwich, CT called Cos Cob Park.
The park is set right on the water, it has an awesome playground for kids, a trail walk along the water and a great field complex for sporting events.
Clearly Ava had a blast and we will be heading there again today to have some more fun with her friends.
These almonds from A&P. If you don’t read nutrition labels most stores sell notes that have added oils, sugars, & salts. This brand has just RAW ALMONDS. This is great and I can mix in my own salt, cranberries, etc!
Ava was on a very bland diet this past week after throwing up several times and having some stomach issues. We eliminated dairy, and have been giving her foods that are pretty dry and plain. She chose to snack on these Popcorners and I must agree they are pretty yummy. They also have only 3 ingredients: corn, sunflower oil, & sea salt! Not bad!
While shopping at A&P the other day, Ava spotted these freeze dried apple Fruit Crisps. I wonder why???? marketing companies are so smart, Mickey will catch any kids attention. They are actually only dried apples so they are super healthy!
I’m a huge Chicken Marsala fan. It’s an easy recipe to whip up and it tastes great. I have a new recipe to share with you next week and it’s Gluten Free.
I know I have posted almond milk before for things I’m loving but Stop & Shop has their own brand and it’s usually around $2. You can’t beat it. In case you haven’t tried almond milk, it has almost 1/2 of your daily needs for calcium. That’s pretty amazing considering regular milk doesn’t even come close!
Sometimes I want to eat veggies but nothing is appealing. On a couple of afternoons this week I have popped in one of these zucchini pancakes to have with my afternoon snack. They are made with simple ingredients and they are quite tasty! I’m definitely a fan.
The last thing I want to share with you is this Pink Orchid Candle that I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond a few weeks ago. In case you didn’t know I am slightly obsessed with candles and this brings a nice spring scent to our house when I light it!
That’s it for this week, we have a couple of BBQ plans for the weekend that I am looking forward to and besides that I hope to get to the beach so we can see Ava run around and play in the water like the crazy little girl she is
I am so excited to share a guest blog post today from one of the most generous & kind woman I know… my personal training client Sheila! She will be sharing some nutrition thoughts with you.
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Creating a healthy pantry that you keep stocked is the key to healthy eating for me. At 58 years old, I never thought I could turn my bad eating habits around but I did with the help of my trainer, Kelly, a membership I now use to the gym and a plan to buy, eat and prepare healthy food. Down 60 lbs, I now love my new healthy life.
I am on the go all day for work so I keep a cooler of food with me in my car to stay on track.
Here’s what I keep in my house at ALL times (You must keep a list going at all times of things you need to replenish to stay on the plan)
I do NOT count calories, I just eat healthy!
PANTRY GOODS
Everything is organized in zip lock bags (3 sizes) or plastics containers
•Organic Oatmeal quick Oats
•UnSweetened Coconut
•Cacao Powder
•cranberries,walnuts,almonds,cashews
•granola( no more than 4g sugar) or make your own
•Sweet Potatoes
•Red potatoes
•Brown rice, Quinoa
•Peanut Butter /Organic low sugar
•mini chocolate chips
•Canola oil, Coconut oil
•Panko bread crumbs
•Newman’s olive oil &Vinegar
•lemon juice,mustard,honey,ginger
•Black Beans
•Artichoke Hearts
•fat-free refried beans,brown rice, canned chicken and tuna and salmon
•bananas, strawberries, apples (frozen pineapple, blueberries, mango for smoothies)
•Ground turkey, chicken, chicken sausage
I keep a lot of frozen fish (Salmon, tilapia, halibut, shrimp, scallops) take out in the morning its fine to cook at night.
Here is a sample of my daily meals, I keep all meals simple:
Breakfast is oatmeal with fruit ,nuts and 2 glasses of water
Mid morning snack is yogurt w/ granola and tea , 2 more glasses of water
Lunch is usually a salad with chicken or fish, 2 squares of chocolate, water
Mid afternoon snack apple with peanut butter, hummus carrots or my shakeology shake, water then for
Dinner meat, chicken or fish with veggies & potato or rice
Late snack if I need one popcorn or nuts and tea and water.
Thank you Sheila for sharing how you stay organized with healthy eating. The key to success is being prepared & having healthy foods on hand at all times and by avoiding purchasing unhealthy foods! I would also like to say how proud I am of how far you have come on your journey.
(The Picture on the left was taken a year ago in 2014, and the picture on the right was yesterday!)
You amaze me with your weight loss and fitness success over this past year
You have exceeded so many goals already. Not only have you created a lifestyle change for yourself but you have showed me that you are in this forever and I’m so happy to be a part of your journey!
