Day 17 and 18: Catching up!

I've been too busy to blog, but I wanted to catch up on my Wednesday and Thursday.  On Wednesday I rested and didn't take class, but on Thursday I went to MUV training for a strength training class, and then to barre3 at Athleta for a free class.  MUV was such a fun gym!  We did a lot of functional movement strength training, and some cardio intervals.  Barre3 was amazing as always, I love the non-barre classes that are offsite.  I always focus more on my the mind-body connection aspect of the workout.  Without the barre for balance and the weights during combo work, I tend to find my own resistance and I feel like I get a deeper workout.

Here's what I ate over the past few days:

Dinner last night:  Chicken apple sausage with sauteed peppers and onions, salad with leftover veggies, dates, and homemade mustard maple dressing. 

I made white bean soup last night to have on hand for the week; I used onions, garlic, sausage, carrots, kale, tomatoes, white beans, and chicken stock.

Snack time!  Dried mango, dates, and a cutie orange.

Lavender Love smoothie from Whole Foods:  Lavender flowers, blueberries, banana, almond milk, and honey.

Leftover chicken stir-fry with wild rice.  Looks kind of gross but it was really good.


Have a good day!

Day 2: Legs fell asleep+Barre3 Donut Holes!

Day 2!  I (again) didn't make it to the 8:45 SE class, BUT I did go to the 5:15 at Williams with my friend Kaitlyn!  It was fun to go with a buddy, we got to suffer through leg work together.  Also, randomly, both of my legs fell asleep during warm up.  Does this happen to anyone but me????  I almost laughed to myself because we were in a hold, and it was almost easier because I couldn't feel anything in either leg!  But then I got that awful tingly feeling that happens after your limbs fall asleep.  In any event, I made it to the end of class and earned my second orange sticker.

This morning I was at home getting some work and laundry done.  I really tried to eat breakfast this AM, but it wasn't in the stars.  I made myself oatmeal and tea, ate a few bites, and then lost interest.  I ended up drinking my tea as I showered and got ready, but the oatmeal ended up being thrown out.  I hate wasting food!  Because of this, I was pretty hungry by the time I left for a 12pm meeting, so I made a quick half pita sandwich.  I also got to hear about a REALLY rad organization today called Fighting Pretty, started by fellow Barre3 gal, Kara Dolce!  I was SO inspired by her story and by what she does for women fighting cancer.  If you are looking for an amazing cause to support, check it out!

Here's what I ate today:

Sad, uneaten oatmeal.  It had bananas, cinnamon, and hazelnut milk.  Black tea with hazelnut milk and vanilla extract DID get consumed!

1/2 of a pita with hummus, yogurt, roasted veggies, and a slice of turkey.

Juice from Prassad in NW (where I met with Kara).  I forget the name of this one, but it has beets, carrots, celery, and I forget what else.  Delish!

Cutie orange!

I had a late lunch and decided to make what I had originally planed for dinner, since we had tentative dinner plans with Brad's folks.  I heated up some chicken apple sausage, roasted veggies, and then I poached some eggs.  (A tip for poaching eggs:  you don't need an actual egg poacher.  Just bring some water to a simmer in a shallow pan; simmer=small bubbles.  Then, add a tiny splash of white vinegar to help coagulate the egg whites.  Then, swirl the water with a spoon as your crack the eggs in.  Let poach until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.  Remove from water and season with sea salt and pepper).

I made Barre3 Donut Holes before my class today, and had one post-class.  Here they are chilling (literally) in my fridge!  They are DELISH!  Also, New Seasons has organic Cacao powder on sale for $8.99 right now!  I know it can be spendy, so I like to stock up when it's on sale.

Day 16: Barre3 Muffiins + Sunny Tuesday

Tuesday!  It was a GORGEOUS, sunny, PDX day.  I drank up as much of the beautiful weather as possible.  This AM I went to class @ N. Williams, taught by Liz.  It was such a good class, I really needed it after the crazy weekend at work.  Weekend classes are super hard for me to get to, so the first class of the week is always really rejuvenating for me.

Today I was out and about running errands.  I went grocery shopping, did my meal planning (I'll put in a separate post), and worked a short shift at Barre3.  It's so nice to see people from Barre3 and connect over the challenge, and what is and isn't working for them.  It's also nice to know I was not alone last week in my sugar cravings and low energy!

Tonight I made the Barre3 Pumpkin Spice Muffins.  The Hearty Winter Stew that was this week's challenge recipe, didn't sound good to me since I made beef stew last week.  I haven't tried the muffins yet, but I plan on having one of those with a small smoothie or banana tomorrow for breakfast.  They are cooling right now and they smell super good!

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with stewed strawberries and maple syrup, topped with unsweetened coconut.

Cutie orange, pre-Barre3 snack.

Lunch:  Bean soup from New Seasons with a salad (greens, roasted chicken breast, beets, and hardboiled egg)

Dinner was pizza.  I really tried today, but we ate super late, and pizza was easy.

I also had dried (unsweetened) mango while I was driving home from work today, and a tea + almond milk latte with honey.  I didn't get in enough water today.  I'm going to chug a big glass before bed.

Day 15: Busy Monday

Monday was super busy!  I forgot (again) to take pictures of my food!  Since work has been so crazy I've been finding myself eating really fast so I can get back to business, this is a good reminder that even on the busiest days I need to find time to relax, and enjoy my food.

I skipped breakfast today, I know, it's really bad.  I was super busy and honestly just forgot about it.  For a snack I had cutie oranges and some cashews.  For lunch I had leftover veggie stirfry and rice noodles.  I also did manage to get out for a walk at lunch and I went and got a Wonderous Punch from Greenleaf.  I forget exactly what is in it, but I know it has beets and strawberries.  So good!  For dinner I had...cereal.  I know.  Not DF or GF, or very nutritious.

Tuesday I'm going to grocery shop and meal plan.  I'll head to class in the AM at Williams.

My Wonderous Punch from Greenleaf.

Day 14: Crazy Sunday!

Week 2 of the challenge comes to an end!  I'm going to be honest, it was a really hard week for me.  My energy was low and I had intense sugar and caffeine cravings all week long.  I definitely had some weak moments this week.  I saw a FB post from Sadie Lincoln yesterday encouraging the January Challengers to re-commit or come back.  I need to come back!  Even though I went through the motions this week, my heart wasn't in it.  Being so tired and having so many cravings kind of brought me down this week.  Weeks three and four are an opportunity to "come back" and stay in this!

Sunday was so insane at work I didn't have a chance to really think about taking pictures of my food! In the morning I had an avocado, banana, peach, almond milk, and chia seed smoothie which I didn't end up liking or drinking.  I got some oatmeal with apples, maple syrup, cinnamon and raisins instead.  For lunch I forgot to snap a pic but I had leftover beef stew.  For a snack I had cuties oranges and barre3 pumpkin spice cookies.  I caved to my sugar cravings and had a mini Cupcake Jones cupcake that a coworker brought in.  Yikes!  

Dinner was leftover stirfry with rice noodles (I also added some shrimp because the chicken was mostly gone) 

My oatmeal!

Happy Sunday!

Day 13: Sugar cravings + Low energy

Another short one!  This week is kicking my butt.  My energy is a little low and as a result I've been craving carbs and sugar!  Hopefully this passes :)

Here's what I ate today:

Dinner was a chicken and veggie stirfry with wild rice.

Lunch:  From whole foods, greens, roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, pork and chicken.

Breakfast was a kind bar and a banana.

I also ate 2 cutie oranges, a Barre3 pumpkin spice cookie, the rest of my vegan pudding, and an organic pop tart that Brad bought.  The sugar cravings are out of control!

I had a lot of water today and a green tea and coconut milk latte.

Have a good night!

Day 12: Feeling stiff in my neck and shoulders

This will be so short!  It's almost 11 and I need to be up early!  I went to the 7:15 class this AM in the Pearl.  It was a great way to start the day.  I was so stiff (I think I slept funny) and my neck and shoulders were super tight.  After warm up I was feeling so much better.  So glad I went!

I have one more 60 min workout to complete by Sunday.

Here's what I ate today:

Snack:  Rooinos and almond milk latte with honey.  Raw pudding cup.  So yummy!  I only ate half the pudding it was so rich.  I'll eat the other half tomorrow.

Lunch:  leftover beef stew.  Reminder to myself I need to freeze the other half of this tomorrow!

Post barre3 breakfast:  smoothie from greenleaf.  I forget exactly what was ij it but I know it had almond butter and pinneapple and ginger.

Before barre3 snack:  cutie oranges 

Dinner Meal plan thwarted again!  We went out to dinner with friends.  I had (another) cheat meal, chicken sandwich.

I also had two barre3 pumpkin spice cookies at some point today but I don't remember when!  I was so busy at work, I just remember being super hungry and scarfing them down with a bunch of water.

Back at it tomorrow!

Day 11: Rainy PDX day + 10 Min Workiout

Today I was back at work after a stretch of time off, so it was a busy day.  I forgot to get a picture of my breakfast this morning, but I had a smoothie we strawberries, almond milk, banana, peaches, and hemp hearts.  I also had a rice cake with peanut butter.

I ended up bringing my beef stew for lunch instead of having it for dinner, since I was too busy this morning to fix anything else for lunch.  It was really yummy, and perfect for a rainy Portland afternoon!

For dinner I had some leftover roasted chicken with a tossed salad.  Before dinner I did a quick 10 minute energizing online workout.  I think it was the Barre3 anywhere total body workout.

I also got to meet a fellow Barre3 friend, Annie, today!  We had originally connected online, and she stopped by the store today.  It's always fun to connect with the Barre3 community, and I love that my network of Barre3 friends is constantly growing.

Here's what I ate today:

Beef stew:  Beef, onions, carrots, celery, peas, potatoes, beef broth, tomatoes, spices, salt, pepper, olive oil.

Brown Rice Sushi:  I had a craving for mashed potatoes today, and I wanted something starchy.  Whole foods was out of plain, steamed brown rice, so I grabbed this brown rice veggie sushi.

Snack:  Barre3 Pumpkin Spice cookies and a cutie orange.

Dinner:  Roasted chicken.  Salad with greens, spinach, cilantro, carrots, bean sprouts, onion, cashews, cutie oranges, and home made sesame dressing.  (Sesame oil, soy sauce, siracha, salt, pepper, rice vinegar, honey)  I also had a pumpkin spice cookie for dessert.

Day 10: Kickboxing + Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Today was a fun, mellow day.  I went to 9 Rounds this AM with some Athleta ladies, and we got in a good workout.  If you haven't been to 9 Rounds, it's a kickboxing style gym, with 9 stations that you do for 3 minutes each.  I got to wear pink boxing gloves.  Enough said.

After my workout I had coffee and lunch with my friend Kaitlyn, and then went to Costco with the boyfriend.  After Costco I hung out at home, took a conference call, and made some beef stew to freeze.  I also made Barre3 Pumpkin Spice cookies.  It was nice to just relax at home and get some stuff done before I head back to work tomorrow.

For lunch I had Chipotle (forgot to take a pic).  I had a bowl with brown rice, pinto beans, grilled chicken, grilled peppers and onions, green salsa, corn, and guacamole.  Lunch was shortly after 9 Rounds and I was STARVING.  I knew I was going to Costco after lunch, and that if I didn't eat something right then I would be tempted by Costco samples.

I didn't go to Barre3 today.  I had intended to go to a PM class but when it got to be about 5pm I started to get stressed thinking about other things I wanted/needed to do like laundry, food prep, and make dinner.  I decided to just stay in and let myself relax and accomplish some house/chore stuff.  I'm glad I didn't go.  As much as I love being in the studio, I needed a big chunk of time at home today.

To drink today I had a bunch of water, plain green tea, tangerine tea, and a rooibos tea latte with almond milk and honey.

Here's what I ate today:

Barre3 Pumpkin Spice Cookies, I ate one after dinner.  They're yummy, but I like the Barre3 donut holes better.

For dinner we made Pork Lettuce Wraps.  SO good.

Before my conference call this afternoon I had a snack of Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy tea (from Yogi) and some Barre3 donut holes.

For breakfast I made us PB&J smoothies:  Almond milk, strawberries, PB, chia seeds, honey.

Have an amazing Wednesday night!

Day 9: Class with buddies + Moment of weakness

Tuesday was a fun day!  I went grocery shopping today for the week, ran some errands, and went to class at Williams.  I was SO happy to be able to take class from my friend Alysha Mueller who just got certified as an instructor!  To make it even better, my run coach, Beth, was able to come and take class with me, this was her first class and she rocked it.

I did have a moment of weakness tonight...I think it's from maybe not eating enough today.  I'm not sure.  Anyways, I was craving a burger like NONE OTHER tonight.  So instead of making the healthy and delicious meal I had planned for tonight, we went to Slowburger and got burgers.  I do feel like good nutrition should be 80/20 and that you're allowed treats 20% of the time.  I know feeling guilty about isn't productive.  At the same time, the challenge isn't just about eating clean and committing to Barre3 workouts, it's about commitment in general, (for me) and I'm a tiny bit disappointed in myself.  However, that burger was delicious, totally worth it, and I enjoyed connecting with my man over dinner.  So I'm LETTING IT GO.  Moving on.

Tomorrow in addition to Barre3, I'm doing a 9 Rounds Kickboxing workout with some Athleta gal pals.  I can't wait!

Here's what (else) I ate today.

Breakfast:  PB&J smoothie:  Mixed frozen berries, peanut butter, almond milk, banana, chia seeds.  I drank about half of it and then forgot about it and left the other half in my car.  Oops!

White Bean salad:  I was super hungry after running errands all morning so I tossed together this SUPER easy white bean salad.  It's 1 can organic white beans, rinsed (Eden Organics is my fave since their cans are BPA free) shredded carrots, spinach, celery, thinly sliced onion, a clove of garlic, white wine vinegar, and olive oil.  I added a little bit of crumbled crispy bacon.  It was amazing.

Class @ Williams studio with amazing instructor, Alysha!

Post workout snack:  I was STARVING after class!  It was 6:30p and all I had eaten was half of my PB&J smoothie and my bean salad so I had a rice cake with PB and unsweetened coconut, and a banana.

For dinner we had burgers and fries at Slowburger.  I forgot to take a picture, but it was yummy!  I  Highly recommend Slowburger if you are A.)  Not doing the Barre3 Challenge B.)  Doing the Barre3 challenge and craving a burger like mad.

Have a great night!

Day 8: Modified Core and Combo work + Quinoa Chocolate

I like a lot of things that other people dread.  I love interviews, I love cleaning, and I love Mondays!  I like the start of a new week, and today was especially great because it's the start of January Challenge week 2!  I started the week off with an AMAZING class in SE with Vicki.  It was a really good class, great energy, and I felt really strong.  I did have a little lower back discomfort today, and so I modified a lot of the core work, and some of the combo work.  I felt really tired and sore in the most amazing way after class.  It was delicious.

I was on the go a lot today.  I ran errands this morning, went to class, ran more errands, worked a short front desk shift @ the Pearl studio, then picked up a few things from New Seasons.  I also sat down and did my meal planning today, but I am going to have to look it over again tomorrow before I go grocery shopping because I do still have some food I need to use up (or freeze) so it doesn't go bad.  Tonight I was going to make salad rolls and a cucumber salad, but I ended up eating some sauteed greens and eggs and chicken sausage, because the sausage needed to be eaten.  I will update the meal plan post tomorrow.

Also, I made a very exciting discovery!  I was at New Seasons and I was looking for an herbal tea with no caffeine that had a rich flavor.  I love my green tea but it doesn't replace a latte or black tea, and I'm not drinking black tea or coffee right now.  I found a really yummy Rooibos tea, and it's Pumpkin Spice flavored!  It has all whole food ingredients, spices, and no added sugar.  Rooibos is actually a bush from South Africa, and when dried, it can be steeped like tea.  On it's own Rooibos can be a little bland, but when mixed with spices or dried fruits, it's really good.  A plus is that Rooibos is rumored to be healing to people with allergies.  I have been having really bad allergies lately, so I'm hoping this helps.  The really nice barista at New Seasons steamed me some almond milk and let me brew my own tea after I had purchased the whole canister of it.  I added a little honey, and it was DELISH.  The key is the steamed almond milk, it gives it a really nice texture, similar to a latte.  We have an espresso machine we never use, so tomorrow I have it on my to-do list to clean it and bust it out for some almond milk steaming so I can make this yummy beverage at home.

Side note:  This tea is especially good when you're drinking it, snuggled up with a blanket, watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  #guiltypleasure

Here's what I ate today:

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie:  Canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie puree, buy just pure pumpkin with no sugar added), hazelnut milk, banana, almonds, dates, ice, and pumpkin pie spice.

Lunch:  Big plate of stir fried veggies with a some bay shrimp.  Yummy sauce with peanuts, soy, sesame oil, and garlic.

Dinner:  Sauteed purple cabbage and spinach, chicken apple sausage, poached eggs, mashed avocado (I ended up not eating the avocado, it wasn't quite ripe)

Snack:  Salad rolls with peanut sauce

Rooibos tea:  I had 2 cups of this today with almond milk and honey

For dessert tonight I tried a new  dark chocolate by Alter Eco.  It has toasted quinoa in it that gives it a crunchy texture.  It was divine.  The bar also has raw sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla beans in addition to fair trade dark chocolate.

Have a great night!

Meal Planning week 2: My Grocery List + Healthy/Organic on a budget

I revised my meal plan again to accommodate yesterday's cheat night at Slowburger.  I took out the salad rolls completely, and changed the lettuce wraps from turkey to pork (more boyfriend friendly).  I am going to try and make the beef stew in the crokpot tonight, freeze half, and put the other half in the fridge for lunches and leftovers this week.  Here's my finalized plan:

Monday:  leftovers

Tuesday:  Slowburger (oopsie)

Wednesday:  Pork lettuce wraps

Thursday:  Beef stew

Friday:  Veggie stirfry with chicken and wild rice (prep extra rice for Sunday)

Saturday:  leftovers

Sunday:  Wild Rice and bean bowls with avocado

Grocery Shopping:

I had to go to three stores this week to get everything I needed, but it was worth it because I have a long stretch of busy-ness at work coming up so having everything ready and in my fridge will be a lifesaver.  Here's what I bought:

Trader Joes:

Frozen shrimp (for the salad rolls, but since it's frozen it won't go bad even though I'm not making them this week)
Carrots
Onions
Frozen peas
Avocados
Shredded carrots
Cucumbers
Frozen bell peppers
Garlic
Green onion
Pumpkin puree (for the pumpkin cookies I'm making from the Barre3 app)
Beef broth
Wild rice
Mustard
Rice Wine Vinegar
Almond meal
Coconut milk

New Seasons

Almond Milk
Beef
Chicken Breasts
Ground Ginger
Dark Chocolate Chips (It was hard to find pure dark chocolate chips, most of the options had additives and dairy, but I found some yay!)
Walnuts (buy in bulk, so much cheaper)


Costco
Cutie oranges
Bananas
Dates (buy them at Costco, so inexpensive for the quantity you get!)
Frozen berries for smoothies
Almond milk (yes more almond milk, we already went through the carton from Trader Joes)
Rotisserie chicken (it's not organic, but Costco has good quality meats and poultry in general, and they just roast it with oil and salt/pepper.  We like to have it on hand for salads, soups, and Brad likes it for wraps and burritos)

Some tips for making grocery shopping more budget friendly:

1.)  Meal planning is a HUGE budget saver.  You don't buy what you don't need, and you are less likely to buy unhealthy items because you have a list and a plan for what you are cooking.  PLUS if you think ahead you can save prep time by prepping multiple batches of ingredients like rice, roasted veggies, etc.
2.)  Buy in bulk!  Go to the bulk bins at New Seasons or Whole Foods.  I get all my flours, sugars, nuts, and spices there.  You will save so much money because you aren't paying for packaging.  Also, you can buy really tiny amounts of things you will only use for one recipe (like spices), instead of buying a whole jar and letting it go to waste.
3.)  Buy some of your produce frozen.  I love frozen green beans, peppers, pearl onions, peas, corn, and fruit for smoothies.  Even if you buy organic frozen product, you are still saving so much, and a lot of the time it's already prepped and sliced for you!  I love frozen bell peppers especially.  Fresh bell peppers are so expensive, but frozen and inexpensive and they cook up just like fresh ones.

Have a great day!

Day 7: Setting my intentions for the next 3 weeks

Sunday was a good day.  Week one of the January Challenge has come to an end, and reflecting back on this week, I feel good.  I completed all my workouts, and I did well with my nutrition.  I made some positive changes this week that enabled me to enjoy the week and not stress about getting my workouts in, or what how I was going to be able to prepare whole food meals on a busy schedule.  Meal planning and grocery shopping before the week began gave me such peace of mind.  It was such a stress reliever knowing what I was cooking for dinner, and knowing that I had healthy leftovers to bring for lunch the next day.  Even though I didn't follow my meal plan exactly since we had family in town, I still was able to make nutritious choices and enjoy my dinners away from home.  Also, scheduling out my classes in advance helped.  I had a few hiccups this week getting to the morning classes, but I got all my workouts in and that's what counts!  I LOVE that Barre3 is all about making this challenge your own.  It helps me feel not guilty for days when I feel like I need to rest my body, or nights when I can't resist a slice of rum cake!

After dinner I did my 10 minute online workout.  I did the Travel Friendly workout (no props required!) and the Restorative Stretch.  The travel friendly workout was really good.  Since it was so short, I really focused on getting deep into each hold and I got my Barre3 burn on right in my living room, in sweats.  It rocked.   I was feeling some tension in my low back today so I decided to try the restorative stretch as well.  I might go to restorative yoga tomorrow night to really get some yummy TLC for my sore body.

Here's what I want to commit to for the next three weeks: 

1.)  More water!  I still have not reached my goal of 4 bottles. 

2.)  Do 4 studio classes.  Even though I got in 4 60 min workouts, one of them was online.  I really missed the energy of the studio!

3.)  Commit 100% to the challenge!  After reading a great article on RealFoodWholeLife about past Barre3 challenges, I was inspired to commit fully to this challenge.  That means that along with my workouts, no alcohol, and no processed foods, I will also be giving up dairy, gluten, and...CAFFEINE.  I know that in order to feel my best about my efforts this month, and to feel the full effects of the challenge, I want to commit 100%!

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast:  Leftover Chia Seed Pudding with a kiwi.  I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture before I ate it!  I was feeling extra hungry this morning so I also had a rice cake with PB.

I found a new favorite warm beverage, and it's dairy + caffeine free!!!!  It's Rooibos tea (a red bush "tea" from South Africa that is caffeine free) with unsweetened Almond Milk and a little honey.  I had the barista foam the almond milk so it has a similar texture to a latte.

Snack time:  I had a rice cake ( my 2nd of the day) with PB and a cutie.

I was getting down to an empty fridge today (I'm going grocery shopping on Monday) so I went to Whole Foods and got some Indian Chicken (dairy + gluten free), kale with tahini and cherry tomatoes, and some garbanzo beans with stewed tomatoes.

For dinner we went to Grassa (not pictured) and I had a delicious cheat meal.  OOPS.  Then I came home, did a 10 minute workout, and wrote this post about re-committing to the challenge in weeks 2-4.  :)

Have an amazing week!

Day 6: Chia Seed Pudding and Online Workout

This will be a quick one because I need to go to bed!

I did the 60 minute Fun and Fierce workout today (online).  That completes my 4 60 min workouts for week one.  I'll do my 10 min workout tomorrow!  Did ok with water today I got through 2 bottles and 2 green teas.  No coffee today and I felt fine, a little sleepy after work though.

Here's what I ate today: (sorry for the out is order pictures, I'm posting this from my phone)

Chia seed pudding:  Chia seeds, coconut milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, unsweetened coconut, salt.  Topped with kiwi.

Dinner:  Leftover roasted veggies with chicken apple sausage and poached eggs.

Rice cake with PB.

Lunch:  Bowl (from whole foods) with brown rice, beans, shredded beef, veggies, green salsa and sweet potatoes.

Breakfast:  Smoothie with spinach, avocado, unsweetened coconut, hazelnut milk, pineapple, orange, banana, and dates for sweetness.

I also ate 2 barre3 donut holes after lunch.

That's all folks!