sunshine

Say hello to the sunshine state. Unfortunately the last few days of our beach trip looked like this. We had a great time with family though. Now, Clabo is heading home and I'm off to Denver for my cousin's wedding. I had a few good runs at the beach and I have already mapped out a few in Colorado... in between wedding festivities, homework, and family time. Have a good afternoon!!

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Another Chicken Recipe

Last year, I made this slow cooker recipe from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet: Cookbook. It was very good and I thought I would share it for those of you that are tired of "grilled" chicken.... like me. It is a crock pot recipe so set it and forget it!!!! Have a good weekend!!!!!

Ingredients


2 Tbsp EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)

1 medium onion - peeled and finely chopped

3 large carrots peeled and cut into chunks

4 stalks celery trimmed and chopped

4 cloves garlic passed through a garlic press

1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones found packed in oil)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 2/3 Cup chicken stock-low sodium

1 can 1 (15 oz each) navy beans, pinto beans or black eye peas, rinsed and well drained

1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped fine

1 tsp thyme

2 Tbsp minced parsley

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 small skinless boneless turkey breast cut into 4 large pieces



Directions:
1. Peel and slice the onion.

2. Peel and cut the carrots

3. press the garlic

4. trim and cut the celery

5. Rinse and drain the beans of your choice

Cooking:
1. Spread half of beans in the bottom of your slow cooker

2. Season poultry with pepper and sea salt.. Heat EVO over medium heat in a skillet. Brown the poultry on both sides in the skillet for about 5 minutes each side.

3. Place the browned poultry on top of the beans in the slow cooker. Top with the remaining beans and the chicken stock. (you can sub with water)

4. In the same skillet, saute onions, carrots, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, celery and herbs. Stirring occasionally.

5. Spread the mixture over the ingredients in the slow cooker.
-----------------------
Cover and cook Low 6 hr (or High 3 hr) until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.
Makes 6 servings.


261 calories, protein 24g, carbs 24g, Dietary fiber 6g, fat 6g, and sodium 553mg

Recipes and a little bit o' fun.

I have been asked by a few individuals lately to post a few more recipes. I have an exam on Wednesday, so that is not going to happen in the next few days because my dinner tonight will consist of egg whites and broccoli, and my lunch was a boca burger and broccoli, so no body wants to read about that. I do not even want to think about it because it was so boring.

Here is my resource for my protein bars: Get Lean, Eat Clean with Jamie Eason. My favorite is the carrot cake protein bars, adapted by yours truly with pumpkin instead of carrots. My mother in law puts shredded pineapple in her carrot cake bars sometimes and IT IS AHHHHMAAAZING. It is just so helpful to have a nice treat ready for you to enjoy.... without having to splurge =) The chocolate ones are BETTER THE NEXT DAY.... not so yummy right out of the refrigerator.

Another resource I really like is MyFitnessPal.com. You can put in your information and track what you eat. I am not a tracker, BUUUUTTTTT, I recommend for everyone to at least track themselves for a day or two JUST SO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ARE EATING. Americans are so accustomed to SUPER SIZING life, so do it, do it now..... seriously. GO. If you do not like MyFitnessPal, try sparkpeople.com or livestrong.com. They are all FREE, so check them out.

Also, I am the QUEEN of the at home workout. You do not have to go to the gym for 2 hours a day. TRUST ME. I am super busy so I have to adapt a lot of my workouts to be functional in my living room. Check out this plyometric video.... LOVE IT.

If you need any more encouragement, let me know. I am always here with a cheeeeezy thumbs up for ya!

Sorry if this picture gives you nightmares later......

day off #1

This is what I'm doing the rest of the day... what are you up to? I'm hoping to go for a run but it is 900 degrees out so I may have missed my opportunity since I slept in until 9!!! Happy Thursday! The week is almost over :)

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Back on the Road

This morning I woke up determined to run. I have not run in more than a month. I did this on purpose though. I tend to eat worse when I run a lot. I decided to clean up my eating habits, hit the gym, burn some body fat, and then start to run again. I did not diet. I just ate clean... complex carbs, lean meats, vegetables, and dessert (in a proper portion) if I wanted it. To be completely honest, I did not lose any weight, but my body fat % changed some AND Claybo said I look leaner.... which, is a HUGE deal to me.... not because I am insecure about how my husband sees me, but because it takes A LOT for him to notice anything and I have been working really hard... So I feel like I accomplished my goal..... not to lose weight, but to clean up what I was eating. I also do not want to burn through lean muscle mass as I start to run again. Your body is more efficient at burning calories when you have muscle.... so WHY would I want to burn through muscle? If my body has to potential to burn more calories while I sit and do NOTHING..... that is EXACTLY what I want it to do. I am too busy to run 2 hours a day and hit the gym for 2 hours a day.... that is unrealistic.

Anyways, I ordered a Garmin Forerunner 405 (I worked a few extra side jobs to earn some extra cash.... they were HARD side jobs, so this is sooooo worth it) and I am so pleased..... side note, if you want one of these, go to www.heartratemonitorusa.com. BEST. PRICES. ANYWHERE.

I ran a VERY HARD 3 miles this morning. Ernest went with me to keep me company.... we are both out of shape. I kept a good pace though and just kept telling myself that this is the worst it will be. I am pretty impressed with the 405 so far. As soon as my watch got in range with my computer, it uploaded my run. I saw all of my walk breaks, the times I had to slow down to cross a street, and I saw my killer sprint at the end....when I say "killer," I do not mean that it was good, I mean that it almost killed me.

I know I have spoken about goals before, but I want to address this again. I am reading a book for a class I teach at work and I love it. (Progress not Perfection by Kate Larsen) Not only is it health/fitness/wellness based, but she is a Christian and applies the same goal-making-principles to every day relationships (God included). One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when they set goals is instead of READY, AIM, FIRE people decide to READY, FIRE, AIM.... for example, Susie-Q wants to have legs like Carrie Underwood. She immediately stops eating carbs, hits the gym 5 times a week, and works out really hard for 2 hours each time. Susie-Q is going to burn out. Instead, she should ask herself WHY she wants legs like that. Is it a REASONABLE goal for her? What is your action plan??? What is ONE STEP she can work on for a week? I have an employee that I was working with a few months ago. She came to me because she was just diagnosed with pre-diabetes and she wanted to lose weight. I asked her why. It gets pretty personal when you do that. Is it to make yourself look like someone else? Is it to glorify your own self? Is it because you want to FEEL better.... ok, we are getting somewhere. Is it because you want to be able to run around with your kids or grandkids? All my employee did the first week was cut down to ONE sweet tea a day (instead of 4). She lost 4 pounds the first week, was so encouraged, and was able to pick a new step. YOU NEED TO FORM GOOD HABITS.

Stop over analyzing yourself!!!!!!

I am sorry this was kind of a soap box trail, but I really get sad for people who get discouraged because they think they CANNOT accomplish their goals. You have the will power.... you just need to set SMALL goals for yourself. I have been applying this to how I read my Bible. If I just say, "I want to know my Bible like she does," instead of "I want to know my Bible better to Know God better,".... my motives are not correct. PLUS, if I never pick up my Bible, study it, or ask God to help me apply it to my life.....how do I expect to learn? HELLO.... There is no such thing as osmosis studying.... speaking of which, epidemiology is calling my name. Happy Saturday everyone!!!


xoxo

Shout OUT to Claybo

MadeByGirl - BLOGS AND COFFEE - ESPRESSO

From j.ramos at MadeByGirl.com

Dear Clay,
If you choose to read my blog today, you can add this poster the list of present ideas for your wife that I know you keep.

Love, B.

Tuesday = Leg Day

Good morning! I am up at 4 am and ready for the day. I wanted to share a little bit about how I streamline meals for the week so that I do not have to do as much in the morning.... more time for coffee and blogging when I wake up =) Today is leg day at the gym, so I needed extra time to drink my coffee and eat my snack..... snack and ibuprofen because Vicki is going to tear me up today.

MASSIVE lunch box

 First, I have my amazing lunch box... it has my work logo on it, so I covered it up. It acts as a cooler and it holds EVERYTHING.

Tupperware!!!

 Next, I use multiple little things of Tupperware. I used to keep a thing of peanut butter at my desk, but I would go through way too much peanut butter, way too fast.... it is really embarrassing, so I will not tell you how fast, or how much.... but I have portion control issues with PB so I put my serving in my lunch box and I am done with it =) I have oats and flax seed next to it.... I will add hot water, cinnamon, honey, and pb later on this morning for snack/bigger breakfast. I made chicken on Sunday and have used it for the last few lunches/dinners. I sliced a tomato and through it all over romaine. I do not use dressing, so I will just eat it like that.... mostly because I am lazy and I refuse to pay for dressing. My mom makes her own, but I am still working on that.

Fast, inexpensive, and yummy!!!

I LOVE my toaster oven!

When I made the chicken the other night, I used Publix chicken breast tenderloins.... on sale! I placed them in aluminum foil on a pan, sliced onions, sprinkled garlic powder and salt free creole seasoning on it, and baked it in the toaster oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

ALL DONE

 Sorry it is blurry. I really like cooking in bulk because it makes throwing lunch together super easy.Well, this nurse has to head out the door. Have a great day!!!!

P.S. Any runners out there? Tell me your running plan/goals/stories!!! I am grounded to do homework tonight AND my Garmin 405 just came in the mail!!! It is torture. I am saving it for tomorrow night.... I need extra motivation because I have taken a few weeks off from running and I know I am going to be frustrated that I will feel awful after the first minute.... just kidding.... Hopefully it will not be that bad =) xoxo

monday is scary

Another week has started. Happy Monday. I started my morning off with an upper body blast/massacre with my friend BJ.... she rocks, and so does her daughter.... way too much fun for one family...

Anyways, I have a few funny thoughts, and then my bus ride will be over and it will be work time:
- the above magazines keep coming in the mail.... does someone know something I do not?
- I reached into my glove compartment to find a napkin and almost sliced my finger on my razor I keep for just in case I have stubble.....almost lost a finger.
- I then reached my hand in my duffle bag for my deodorant and my chi was still hot from getting ready.... Seriously? Too many close calls for this early in the morning.

Watch out world.... I am dangerous today.
HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

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It's Been a While

Sunny afternoon in Florida

Does anyone else out there suffer with "post weekend blues" ? I DO. Every Sunday evening, around 5:00pm, I start to get sad that the weekend is over. What do you do to get rid of them? What do you have left to do to get ready for the week? I still have to get some laundry finished and grill chicken for the next few days.... while watching Breakfast at Tiffany's of course =)

Last week I experimented with something: A.M. workouts again. My friend graciously accepted my offer to meet me at 5:30am a few times a week. The way my schedule is lately, it is morning or nothing.... for the most part. I choose to do this because I have family and friends that live in the area and I want to be able to see them after work for family parties/dinners AND get homework finished if necessary. I have a few half marathons coming up AND I have some personal fitness goals of my own, so that requires insuring that I get my workouts in... plus, the ladies that I will be meeting in the morning are INCREDIBLY encouraging and uplifting. I am truly thankful for their fellowship and wisdom that they share with me.... while we are sweating and gasping for air in between sets =)

I was asked to speak at a girls night (the theme was health and fitness) for the college group at our church last week.... and I started thinking..... each person's health and fitness goals are personal and unique. I would never tell someone to workout as much as I do in order to be healthy. I care more about helping you with your blood sugar and blood pressure than I do your pants size. I genuinely ENJOY exercising.... and some of my closest friends enjoy exercising as well, so it is my "girl" time. Other people relax by reading, gardening, watching tv/movies, or some other hobby. I enjoy exercising, training people, and reading about new fitness/health research projects..... not because I think we all need to be a size 0, but because I want to know what people are saying so that I can be aware when I educate people. There is no magic formula that works for everyone. I will tell you this though: Nutrition is 80% of your health/fitness goals. Are you trying to decrease your blood pressure? Sodium decrease and water increase will help more than walking 2 hours a day and eating crap. 

My life does not revolve around exercise. I am really not obsessed with this topic. Please understand that my JOB involves educating employees about lifestyle changes and disease management.... I read this stuff all day. Yes, my eyes light up when I talk about what strength training can do for a diabetic struggling with blood sugar control. True, when I see morbidly obese adults taking their morbidly obese children to McDonalds I want to cry.... seriously. Maybe if I did not read articles/textbooks about these things all day I would not notice..... even for grad school, my test questions involve things like "If company A was trying to show the relation between obese children and the distance they live to a fast food restaurant, what type of research study would they conduct......". I am so excited to be a nurse practitioner one day and really help adults who are struggling with these things..... but until then, I will continue to post my plethora of knowledge on the internet for interested persons to read at their leisure. Have a great evening..... ~B