I could not stand to not have a post in the month of July, so here I am... July 31st. Can you believe tomorrow is August 1st? Where has this year gone? I have had quite a few people tell me that they have missed my blogs, and to be honest, I missed blogging. However, I had to cut a lot of things out of my life because school was kicking my butt. Here are some things that I did this last month:
My beautiful cousin Ashley's WEDDING weekend in COLORADO!
My finals were on July 20th, so I ran, worked, studied, slept..... for three weeks straight. I cut out reading, friends, family activities, and computer.... Clay even changed my Facebook password so I would not be tempted to get on (sad, right?).
At work, we have multiple six week challenges throughout the year for our employees to join. In the beginning of the year, we focused on weight loss and knowing what your "numbers" were (cholesterol, glucose, BMI, body fat %...etc.). The next challenge focused on nutrition; we set goals for our employees to add more color to their diet (red/apples, orange/peppers, yellow/squash.....you get the idea). The challenge that we just started is called the YOU CAN challenge. What I LOVE about this challenge is that the EMPLOYEE gets to pick their goal; we do not make it for them. The first two weeks of the challenge the employees gets out their calendar and PLANS tasks/activities that will help them to accomplish their goals. For instance, do you want to lose weight? Do you want to reduce a pants size? MAKE IT HAPPEN. Get out your calendar and set a date to go to the grocery store and buy your food, plan your workouts, and schedule time to meet up with friends to workout together. If your goal is to have more time with your family, SCHEDULE IT. My husband always tells me that, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting change, but always getting the same result." Is that what you are doing with some area of your life? It has definitely been thought provoking for me.
Speaking of my hubby, he sold his first house in the last few weeks as well. I am so proud of him. He is LOVING his new job!
Last week, I went to a diabetes seminar and learned ALOT about helping people control their diabetes while they are at work. If you know me at all, THIS IS MY PASSION. Diabetes (type 2) is preventable and our society is in an epidemic. There was a lady at this event (she was a benefits/HR manager at her company) who was complaining about how expensive healthy food was; she was the largest woman there. I always have to hold my tongue when people say that because it is simply not true. There are EXPENSIVE healthy foods, yes. However, you do not have to eat ORGANIC everything (or anything). I rarely buy organic items because of the price. Items like brown rice, beans, seasonings, chicken (buy it when it is on sale and freeze it), oat meal, peanut butter, eggs.... these are all staples. I buy fresh produce in the beginning of the week, but I have frozen veggies for the end of the week because buying produce for a whole week can be pricey. This same woman, ate three cookies at lunch... and they were free... it is not just a price thing for her. I am not saying NEVER indulge, but seriously, we were at a diabetes seminar. Control your portions at least.
I have also been enjoying a new book, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Very good so far; I have a hard time reading for pleasure, thanks to college, so I am determined to get back in the "reading" loop.
New training goals: I am running the Ragnar Relay in the Florida Keys in January. I am so excited, not only for the course, but also for the group I am running with. We are going to have so much fun. There are a few half marathons that I will be running in the fall as well, so stay tuned!
Have a good week everyone!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
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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Friday, June 24, 2011
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
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
Labels:
recipe
Monday, June 20, 2011
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!
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...... |
Labels:
recipe,
Weight loss,
workout
Thursday, June 16, 2011
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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Saturday, June 11, 2011
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.
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
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!!!!!! |
xoxo
Labels:
Ernest,
goals,
running,
Weight loss
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Shout OUT to Claybo
MadeByGirl - BLOGS AND COFFEE - ESPRESSO
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.
![]() |
| 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.
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