"Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow."Doug Firebaugh

My biceps have grown an entire inch since I started the LivFit workout!  Yes, I may be bragging a little bit, but...... Yea me!!!!!!!!

Krazy Mommy Moment:

What is complete and total torture to you?  For me.......sitting here at this very moment watching my children devour a bowl of homemade Carmel corn while I watch salivating!  O.K., so I might have licked the spoon while I was stirring, but still!  I really want some!!!!! So, instead I will write about eating healthy so I don't have a complete and total breakdown, take the popcorn and eat it all myself!!

So, I took on a new endeavor this past week, and I am helping to train a good friend of mine.  I am so excited and having so much fun doing it!  Besides, she is paying me in workout clothes!! AWESOME!!!!  I decided that in my next life I am going to be a personal trainer and a nutritionist.  Now that would be an awesome job!  I sure hope I know enough to best help her. Thanks for trusting me girlfriend!

LivFit Day 75

OK, so last week there is no way I was going to measure and weigh myself.  We had graduation, continuation, school parties and much much more!  I worked out 3 times and ate like crap!  The scale would not have been my friend.  So, this week I am back on track and feeling great.  This phase of LivFit (www.bodybuilding.com) has been so hard, but soooooo awesome!  I am doing circuits of light weight/high rep exercises.  It is kicking my butt, but feeling great! I am finally noticing some definition in my legs!  For me that is a HUGE accomplishment!  Here are my stats this week:

Weight: 117.5 lbs. (+0.5 lb)

Fat %: 17 % (-+0%)

Biceps:11 1/2 in (+-0)

Waist: 25  in (-1/2 in)

Butt: 35 1/2 in (-1/2 in)  Ok, so that might be pushing it, but it shrunk a little!

Thigh: 18 4 in (-1/4 in)

This Week's Can't Live Without it Product:

These are totally awesome!  They are my new obsession.  I at them with salsa, yogurt dip, hummus, avocado, and anything else I can scoop up with them!!!!  They are totally natural, organic, and clean!  They are even a complete protein!  Yeaaaaaa! The only place I have been able to find them however is King Supers! Get on the ball other grocery stores! 

Clean Recipe:

I found this recipe on www.recipe.com and thought it looked so yummy!  It wasn't quite clean however, so I made my own little tweaks, and it tastes great!!!!!!  It's cold and perfect for a hot summer day!  Enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

10 oz. whole wheat pasta (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 pounds cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2  cup chopped green bell pepper

1 can sliced black olives

1 container grape tomatoes

3/4 cup Lite grapefruit juice

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  Rinse with cold water and drain again.

In a screw-top jar combine grapefruit juice, olive oil, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Cover shake well and refrigerate.

In a large bowl combine pasta, shrimp, celery, onion, green pepper, and olives.  Stir in tomatoes.  Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss gently to coat.  Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.  Stir before serving.  Makes 10 to 12 servings.



The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain.

Kahlil Gibran

 



Krazy Mommy Moment:

Oh CRAP!  I totally had a breakdown last night!  I ate two pieces of loaded pizza and a half of a bag of almond M&Ms.  I am usually so freaking good about my diet.  Guilt.....oh ya!  I feel totally sluggish and gross today.  It wasnt' really even that good!  OK the M&Ms were totally delicious, but the pizza on the other hand was greasy and gross!  I found an article about "falling off the wagon".  If any of you reading need any help with this.....read on my friends!



Day 52 of LivFit Stats: bodybuilding.com


So, I totally am loving my upper body.  The workouts are kicking my butt (which is getting bigger by the way, not sure how I'm feeling about that)!  My muscles are totally getting ripped and defined!  My booty is getting very, shall we say for lack of tactful words, supple!  Yikes!  Legs, oh my stinking legs!  They will always be my trouble zone!  I have the hardest time building muscle in my lower body. I know its' there somewhere!  It is just hiding under a layer of "insulation".  They say that a body is built in the kitchen, not in the gym.  I guess my moments of pizza and M&Ms have to end!

Biceps: 11 1/2 in (+1/2in)
Waist: 26 in (+-0)
Butt:  3 6 in (+-0 it is growing I promise!)/
Thigh:  18 1/2 in (-1/4 in)

Weight: 118.0 (-.08lb)
Body Fat: 18% (-.8%) 

New Product I Can't Live Without:



I don't know about you, but I LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!  I always use Ezekiel Protein Bread and Natural Peanut butter.  But, when it comes to the jelly, I have been doing without until now!  Walden Farms (waldenfarms.com) makes a sugar free, calorie free, natural fruit spread that is fantastic!  I know it sounds too good to be true, but try it for yourself!  I found it at Sprouts!

Clean Eating Advise (I need this more than you probably do!):

What to Do After Cheating on Your Diet

Posted in: Dieting Strategies, Nutrition, Weight Loss

It’s happened to all of us at one point or another – we’re going along great on our healthy weight loss plan, when all of a sudden we careen out of control and eat something we really shouldn’t have. While this is a common experience that all dieters share, it does not have to mean disaster if you keep your senses and take action to minimize the damage.
Here are a few do’s and don’ts after ‘cheating’ on your diet:

The first thing to do is forgive yourself. After all, you’re only human! Remind yourself that you are trying to change very deeply ingrained old habits, and that takes time and persistence. It’s virtually inevitable that you will slip now and then.
The next step is to honestly assess how bad the cheat was.
Did you have one serving of chocolate cake, or did you down an entire pizza, a 6-pack of beer and a roll of raw cookie dough? Was it a one-time cheat, or did you go on a bender and eat non-stop for 3 or 4 days?
See: 5 Clues a Binge is Imminent
If you are honest with yourself, most of the time you’ll realize that the cheat wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Even if it was a huge, seam-bursting event, you can still take steps to get quickly back on track.
First, what NOT to do:
Definitely DON’T assume that you’ve screwed up your diet and you will be a fat failure forevermore. Don’t beat yourself up and call yourself names. Don’t tell yourself that you’re weak, have no willpower and can’t do anything right. None of these things are true – you just went a little off course, that’s all.
Definitely DON’T starve yourself as punishment or in an effort to try forcing your body to lose the weight you gained from a cheat! Eating too little will only slow down your metabolism and make matters worse.
Most importantly, don’t quit your diet! Don’t see your cheat as a “failure” – see it as an opportunity to do better from this moment on.
See: Are You Setting Yourself Up for Failure?
What to do next:
Then, depending on the magnitude of the cheat, you may want to take a few steps for the next few days that can help you bring your body back into fat-burning mode.
Increase water intake
If your cheat included foods that are high in sugar, fat and sodium, drinking more water can help your body flush out toxins and any excess water that it may be retaining due to the content of the food you ate. Drink enough water so that you are visiting the potty regularly and your urine is virtually clear in color.
See: Water – The Drink of Choice for Any Diet
Eat High-Fiber Vegetables
Include plenty of high-fiber, nutrient-rich vegetables in your diet for a few days, especially vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, avocado, and brussel sprouts. This will help keep you feeling full while also stimulating your digestive system to keep things moving along smoothly, and boosting your metabolism because these foods require your body to expend a fair amount of energy to digest them.
Patiently Wait Out Cravings
Finally, if you cheated with a food that has now triggered cravings for more of the same food, you’ll have to patiently wait it out until the cravings pass. Remember that some foods (like sugar) create a chemical chain-reaction in your body that makes you want more and more of them. When a craving comes over you, simply take a few deep breaths, affirm that it will pass, and wait until it does.
Cheating on your diet is not the end of the world – it’s not even the end of your diet, if you simply keep your common sense and do what you can to get back on track as quickly as possible. And if you find you’re consistently cheating on your diet, then it may not be the right diet plan for you. Losing weight permanently means making changes you can live with for the rest of your life. Check out “Choosing a Diet For Your Lifestyle”.

Clean Eating Recipe:

I eat these almost everyday for one of my mini-meals!  They are good warm or cold. 

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Serving size: 2 muffins

Calories: 80

Fats: 2g

Carbs: 4g

Protein: 11g

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground turkey (or chicken)

3 egg whites

1 cup quick cooking oats (I have used regular oats too)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground thyme

2 tsp dry yellow mustard

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp chipotle pepper spice (I use chili powder)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp. garlic powder or minced garlic

1 small onion (finely chopped)

2 celery stalks (finely chopped)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with olive oil.  Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl.  Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan.  Muffins should be about the size of a racquetball.  Bake for 40 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.





One should eat to live, not live to eat. 

~Cicero, Rhetoricorum LV

Krazy Mommy Moment:

So no post last week.  I was at my Mom and Dad's for Spring Break.  It was so great to see them, but my biggest fear came true!!!!  Although I went to the gym everyday (my hot hubby was my workout partner), I ate like crap!!!!!!  My mom is awesome, and I love her to pieces, but to her, eating healthy is chicken salad on a croissant!  I ate a clean breakfast, and when we ate out I made clean choices.  However, when we ate at home.......YIKES!!!!!!  I was so worried that I was going to come home, weigh myself, and have a heart attack!!!!  Luckily, I didn't, but the idea made me sick all week long! I am a little nervous to see my stats this week, but I am going to let it all hang out there!!!  No secrets for this Krazy Mommy!

OK, so my little guy is sick today.  We stayed up all night in his bed.  Him with a fever and very unsettled, and me tired and miserable!  I did the good mom thing and stayed with him, gave him Tylenol and held him when he was crying.  But, the bad mom in me was really worried about not going to the gym this morning!!!!!!  I know there is no way I could take him with a fever, I should just except that and focus on taking care of him right?  Hmmmm.  You would think.  My totally obsessive compulsive self is majorly freaking out about it!  Now my workouts are off schedule, I am going to have to go to the gym Saturday sometime, and I was not able to get anything ready for Easter this weekend!!!!!!  What the heck!  I also can't decide now if I am getting sick or if I am just tired from last night!  I don't have time to be sick!  A little nuts?  Yep.

This Week's Stats:

I am in Phase 2 of the LivFit Program ( bodybuilding.com ).  I am seeing some major changes in the tone of my body now!  How awesome is that?  The past few weeks have been really hard workouts.  I have been super sore!  It honestly has never felt so good to do my cardio too.  I guess you never miss it until it is gone hu?  I am kinda bummed though.  I think if I wouldn't have fallen off the food wagon last week, I would have seen more changes in my measurements.  Oh well. Anyway, here are my stats:

Weight: 118.6 lbs. (+0.2)

Body Fat: 18.2% ( -2%)

Arms: 11 1/4 in (+1/4)

Waist: (+-0)

Butt: 35in (+-0)

Thigh: 18 3/4 (+-0)

(I decided to stop measuring my chest.  It all depended on which bra I was wearing that day, and how much the girls were getting squished!)

Fitness Tip:

My favorite back exercise is the Bent Over Delt Raise.  Do 3 sets of 10 of these babies.  Your last few reps in each set should be really hard to finish.  Seriously like you might die!

Diet Tip:

Creatine is an important supplement in a trainers diet.  Creatine is a natural compound found in red meats and fish.  It is also produced in our bodies, primarily in the liver.  It is made of amino acids (the building block of protein).  The role of creatine in your body is to help your muscles work harder and longer, which means that you can burn more fat and calories during your workout!  If you decide to use a creatine supplement in your regiment, go for the mono-hydrate form.  This is the purest and most easily digested type.  I like the powdered form from maxmuscle.com.  Research has shown that it does not have to be taken everyday, but only on your training days.  To increase muscle size and strength, try supplementing with creatine two or three time per week before and after your workouts!

Clean Eating Recipe:

OK, so if you are like me, Taco Bell was a significant part of your diet in High School.  It was cheap, accessible, and really yummy!  The Mexi Pizza was always one of my favorites! When I ran across this recipe from hungrygirl.com I just had to try it.  I made it tonight, and OMGosh!  It was awesome!!!

Mexi Pizza:

Ingredients:

2 6-inch organic corn tortillas

1/3 Cup Boca ground crumbles

1/2 tsp. taco seasoning mix

2 Tbs. Fat Free refried beans

2 Tbs. Clean Salsa

3 Tbs. shreaded reduced fat cheddar cheese

1/4 Cup chopped tomatoes

2 Tbs. Chopped avacado

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray baking sheet with PAM.  Lay tortillas on the baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes.  Flip tortillas and bake until crispy. 

Meanwhile, bring a skillet sprayed with PAM to medium heat.  Add soy crumbles and sprinkle with taco seasoning.  Cook and stir until hot and well mixed.

Spread 1 tortilla with refried beans.  Top with soy crumbles, followed by the other tortilla, then salsa.  Sprinkle with cheese, tomato, and avocado.  Bake until cheese is melted! YUMMMMMM!





A life without cause is a life without effect.
-Barbarella

Love my new LuLu outfit!  I wish I had a job there just to wear the clothes!  Get your own at www.lululemon.com

Krazy Mommy Moment:

All right, so we have already discovered that I am a little bit of a control freak.  I am really having an anxiety attack right now!  I am going to my parents' house for spring break next week.  I am so excited to see them, they are awesome!  However, when I go there, I slip back into lazy mommy mode!  I want to be lazy, shop, and eat all day! I have already looked online and found a gym that I can go to everyday, but what about the food!  I don't want to hurt my mom's feelings or be a pain in the butt about eating clean.  I am bringing some of my own food, and I guess I will just

do my best to eat healthy while I am there.  I saved up my cheat day for Saturday, and I can take another one anytime next week, so I guess I will be OK!  I need to just relax and have fun, I know that.  Why oh why am I such a psycho?

This Week's Measurements!:

Not a lot of changes this week!  I get to start cardio again next week!  I have never been so excited to do cardio in my life!  I guess a month without it will do that to you!  I am hoping to see more of a change after that!

Chest: 35 1/2 " (no change)

Biceps: 11" (no change)

Waist: 26" (no change)

Butt: 35" (no change)

Thigh: 19" (-1/4") 

Weight: 119.2 (+0.4 lb.)

Body Fat: 18.4 (-.6%)

I am so loving this workout!  Thank you Jaime E and bodybuilding.com!  I am actually even considering competing in a novice bikini comp this fall!  Oh my @*%#!  I can't even believe I am thinking about this.  It would be scary, and empowering, and awesome!!!!

Healthy Eating Tip:

Flaxseed has become a staple in my diet!  I love the health benefits of this tiny little seed! I add it into everything from oatmeal to cookies!  Here is some research about why you should incorporate flax into your diet too.

The Benefits of Flaxseed

Is flaxseed the new wonder food? Preliminary studies show that flaxseed may help fight everything from heart disease and diabetes to breast cancer.

 

ByElaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Expert Column

 

Some call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s quite a tall order for a tiny seed that’s been around for centuries: flaxseed.

Flaxseed was cultivated in Babylon as early as 3000 BC, according to the Flax Council of Canada. By the 8th century, King Charlemagne believed so strongly in the health benefits of flaxseed that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it. Fast-forward 13 centuries, and some experts would say we have preliminary research to back up what Charlemagne suspected all those years ago.

These days, flaxseed is found in all kinds of foods, from crackers to frozen waffles to oatmeal. The Flax Council estimates close to 300 new flax-based products were launched in the U.S. and Canada in 2010 alone. Not only has consumer demand for flaxseed gone up, agricultural use has also increased -- to feed all those chickens laying eggs that are higher in omega-3 fatty acids.

Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
• Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
• Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

Clean Eating Recipe:

Turkey Paninis





Ingredients:

8 slices of sprouted protein bread

12 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil) patted dry and halved

2 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, thickly sliced

6 (1-oz)slices reduced sodium fresh deli turkey

1 1/2 cups arugula or spinach leaves

Instructions:

Layer 4 slices of bread with 6 pieces of tomato, half ounce of cheese, on and a half slices of turkey, and top half of bread.  Toast sandwich in panini press on medium heat until lightly browned. 

260 calories

6 g. fat

14 g. protein

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. ~Henry Ford

Krazy Mommy Moment:

I honestly thought that if I became a teacher, I would have perfectly behaved children of my own!  Holy crap was I wrong!  If you have kids, you know what I am talking about.  We all had that "My kids will never......" conversation.  Mine were "crawl under the table at a restaurant" and "Throw a tantrum at the mall".  Oh I had several other momentous ideas about my future fabulous parenting.  Unfortunately, I was totally delusional!  Actually, my first two behaved pretty well overall.  The third one.......well, let's just say that he is teaching me some very memorable lessons in patients and self control!  Last week, his teacher had to pull me aside and inform me that my "little monster"  pushed another little boy down and called him a name that rhymes with wenis!  OMGosh!  My kid is a bully and a potty mouth.  What the heck?  All I have to say is that this has to be his father's fault!  I'm not sure how, but I'm not taking the fall for this kid!  Any advise?

LivFit Week 2 Update:

OK ladies, here are my measurements after 2 weeks of Jaime Eason's LivWFit 12 week program. You can find it at bodybuildin.com .

Weight: 119.2 lbs. (+0.8 lbs no cardio!)

Fat %: 19% (+0.8% no cardio again!)

Biceps: 11 in (+ 1/2 in.  yeaaaaa)

Chest: 35 1/2 in (- 1 in. crap!  Not where I want to loose!)

Waist: 26 in (-1 in. oh ya)

Butt: 35 in (- 1 1/4 in. oh ya X2)

Thigh: 19 in. (- 1/4 in.)

I have been loving this program so far!  I have been lifting 60% of my max weight 4 times a week. I am really happy with the results so far!  I knew I would probably gain a little weight because I am not doing any cardio.  I can't believe how well it has toned my body so quickly though.  I do have to admit that I did cheat on my workout this week!  It is not what you might think!  Jaime Eason insists that there is no cardio for the first 3 weeks of the program so that maximum muscle development can occur.  I rode the stationary bike last week!  I know, I am a terrible person, but I couldn't help it.  I was feeling fat and lazy, so I needed a little pick me up.  The bike did it.  I am on the straight and narrow again! 

Diet Tip:

I grew up in the "Fat Free" generation.  In the 80s my mom was trying to loose weight.  She brought all kinds of fat free foods into our home.  We even had fat free Twinkies for after school snacks!  As I got older, I fell into those same eating habits.  I thought I was doing myself a favor, but actually I was harming my metabolism and muscles.  I ate sugar cereal in the morning, a plain bagel and a Diet Coke (still drinking this  daily as many of you know!) for lunch, and spaghetti with tomato sauce for dinner!  I ate tons of Skittles and Jelly Bellies because I thought if a food didn't have any fat, it was going to help me loose weight.  Another misconception of this generation is exercise habits.  We were taught that aerobic exercise was all we needed to loose weight or get into shape. You remember Buns of Steel?  I was the queen of buns. I could never quite understand why all of my cheer leading and aerobic videos never toned my body the way I wanted it to be. Unfortunately this is a hard habit to break.  I always thought girls who lifted weights would bulk up and look like football players! How wrong I was!  Women need regular weight training to loose or maintain weight!  Our muscles are not genetically programed to bulk up.  All it does is create lean muscle and rev up our metabolism.  We also need to eat healthy fats in order to maintain our muscle and overall health.  All that sugar and white processed food that we used to eat has to be thrown in the trash!  At the ripe old age of 36, I look and feel better than I ever have!  I am strong and healthy, and I actually look forward to working out everyday.  I eat delicious clean foods (I seriously eat more than my 220 pound husband!).  I am never hungry or feel like I am being deprived.  I am happy in every aspect of my life.  I attribute this to my new outlook on fitness and diet! 

Fabulous Clean Recipe:

Beef and Broccoli Noodle Bowls:

I found this delicious recipe in this month's issue of Clean Eating  (cleaneating.com).  This is honestly the best magazine I have ever subscribed to! 

Ingredients:

8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti

1 head broccoli florets

1 orange, juiced and zested

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp olive oil

3/4  lb. sirloin strips, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

4 cloves garlic (I used bottled minced)

1/2 cup snow peas

sesame seeds

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water.  Bring to a boil and add pasta.  Simmer for 5 minutes then add broccoli.  Simmer for 5 more minutes.  Drain and keep warm.

In a small bowl, whisk orange zest, juice, soy sauce, pepper flakes and ginger.  Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium for 1 minute.  Add beef and cook, turning occasionally for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.  Add peas and orange juice mixture and stir to coat.  Saute for 3 minutes until beef is cooked through.

Add beef mixture to pasta mixture and toss to combine.  Garnish with sesame.

Enjoy!!!  I ate this for dinner last night and again for lunch today.  

I Hate Legos!

No, really.  I hate them!  I know that they are good for the brain, foster creativity, blah blah blah!  I step on them, vaccum them up, and pick them up daily.  My 5 year old stayed in his bed for an entire month (a feat in its self). We told him that if he did so, he could pick out a toy at the store.  After browsing the Lego isle for almost an hour, he finally decided on a helicopter and dinosaur set. Of coarse it is for older kids which means he would not be able to put it together himself. We got it home and I asked him to wait until his dad got home to help him put it together. Father son bonding right?  He was really excited and I felt bad, so I told him I would do it.  I swear there are 4,000 pieces!  I seriously spent 2 hours puting this stinking thing together.  When I was finished, it did look really cool.  I was very proud!  Last night he was playing upstairs when he said "Mom, come look at this cool thing."  I went upstairs to witness the destruction of all of my hard work!  He had a "helicopter crash".  What the crap?  It is a good thing I kept the instructions!  This time Dad is puting it back together!  Am I a terrible mom?

12 Week LivFit:

O.K. guys it's week 1 of my new program!  I am loving it so far.  All strength and no cardio for 3 weeks!  It's my dream workout!  So, I decided to take my measurements this week and document the changes in my body as I progress.  I was going to do it in my journal, but I thought I'd share it with you all!  Here are my stats for Week 1.

Weight: 118.4 pounds (I am not trying to loose weight!  I might even gain a little with no cardio!)
Fat %: 18.9%
Biceps: 10 1/2 in.
Chest: 36 3/4 in.
Waist: 27 in.
Hips: 36 1/4 in.
Thigh: 19 1/4 in.
Calf: 13 1/4 in.

I will document my progress each week!  Hope this is all worth it!

Clean Eating Tip:

I allow myself one cheat meal OR dessert a week.  This week it was these buffalo nachos at a Denver Nuggets basketball game!  They were sooooo awesome and soooooo worth the calories.  Cheat meals are sometimes the highlight of my entire week!  I look so forward to them.  Below is an article from oxygenmag.com that confirms my love of cheating!!!!!

How cheating on your diet can be good for your mind and figure.

By Jennifer Sygo, MSc, RD; Photography Peter Chou; Recipe by Emily Zaler

Striking a balance that works for you is the key to avoiding the pitfalls of eating too perfectly. Just like you need to build rest and recovery into your workout routine, finding a way to enjoy some of your favorite, or even forbidden foods in moderation, is an important tool to keep you on track in the long run.

How often you choose to indulge depends on a few variables, including your personality, your goals, and the types of foods that you tend to crave. If you are weeks away from your first fitness competition, then keeping cheats to a bare minimum is probably best. On the other hand, if it’s a regular day or a regular week, then enjoying a planned cheat meal or favorite snack can help keep you on track. While some prefer to enjoy a small treat every day, others do better by having one “free” meal per week, or enjoying an extra glass of wine or a dessert when they go out socially.

As for the size of the cheat you can afford, that depends on a few factors. We know that cutting calories can help you to lose weight, but being too restrictive for too long can actually slow down your progress by making it difficult for your body to build all-important lean muscle. If you know that you’re consistently eating much less than you are burning (by 500 calories per day or more), then you might add a cheat food to help you to meet your daily needs. In these cases, you will want to make your cheats a bit healthier, since you’ll be eating them often. If you have less wiggle room in your diet, then you might want to limit your cheats to a few times per week, or keep the portions or calories lower when you do indulge.

On the other end of the spectrum, full-out cheat days or weekends can be risky in the long run, especially if you throw all common sense out the window. In the end, you’re better off having a pasta dinner or dessert on Saturday night than spending two whole days gorging on candy and fast food, followed by a week trying to undo the damage.

And if you don’t feel the need to cheat, that’s okay, too – there is no need to force yourself to indulge if you are comfortable with your current routine. The most important thing is that you maintain a routine that is stable, and sustainable, for you.

Clean Eating Recipe:

This is one of my family's favorites! I have to double the recipe because they all have seconds! It takes me about 15 minutes to make from start to finish.  I found the recipe on Rachel Ray and cleaned it up a little!  So good. 

Creamy Peanut Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans low sodium, organic chicken broth

1 cup natural peanut butter

6 scallions, sliced (dark gree parts kept separate)

1 cup fat free half and half

Sea Salt

Asian hot sauce

Lime wedges

Directions:

Puree broth, peanut butter, and scallion whites in a blender.  Pour into pot and simmer for 5 minutes.  Sir in half and half, season with sea salt and asian hot sauce.  Top with scallion greens.  Serve with lime wedges.

February 23, 2012

Krazy Mommy Moment:

This week I had a total Ah-Ha moment! (brought to my attention by my best g friend). I am a total control freak!  I have no desire to control other people.  In fact, I spend all of my time attempting to control myself and my environment.  I think since I have stopped working, I feel a little bit lost.  I'm not so sure about my place in the world anymore.  I was really good at my job, and I loved it!  I miss my  colleagues and all of my kiddos so much.  I think that I have transferred that into my now jobless life by giving myself a rigid schedule of cleaning, eating, and exercising!  Holy Crap!  I don't know if this is healthy!  I spend my days now cleaning, making lists, exercising, and eating a very planned out clean diet.  As my good friends know well, don't mess with my schedule or I get a little crazy!  As soon as the kids come home from school I feel purpose again and the importance of myself and my to do list diminishes.  I get to focus on them again. I am going to work on not being so rigid and inflexible (is that a word?).  I might even stop making lists about what list to conquer first!

Workout Schedule:

This is my last week of the Jaime Eason 30 Day Knockout!  Yea.  I am sooo excited to be done.  I loved the workout don't get me wrong.  I see totally awesome results in the overall tone of my muscles.  I just loose motivation and drive when I do the same routines for an extended period of time.  I did learn that deadlifts are my butt's best friend!  O.K., so after my confession above, this won't surprise you.  I have already planned, printed off, and put in page protectors in my workout binder.........my workouts for the next 12 weeks!  I really am disturbed aren't I?  I am going to try a 12 week workout that I found at bodybuilding.com.  It is called 12 Week LiveFit Trainer by Jaime Eason.  It looks really intense, but I am really excited to start next week.  It is supposed to get you totally competition ready in just 12 weeks.  The diet is included too. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-phase-1.html?page=2 I will keep you posted on my results and progress.  By the way, I will absolutely not be entering into any competitions!  Walking across a stage in a bikini and heels?  My worst nightmare! 

Noodle Let Down:

So my Miracle Noodles finally got here.  I was so excited at the prospect of calorie free noodles, however, Miracle Noodles, not such a miracle after all.  The texture is really weird and they are super stinky!  Not just a slight odor, I mean Smelly Cat smelly!  I ordered a bunch, so I guess I will have to eat them.  I am totally not a waster, so I will have to make the best of them. I did see some tofu noodles at Sprouts yesterday, so I will try those when my Miracles have all disappeared. 

Clean Eating Recipe:

Oh my gosh!  Tried this recipe from Hungry-Girl.com for lunch yesterday. It is so delicious!

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 200 calories, 3.25g fat, 930mg sodium, 33g carbs, 7g fiber, 7g sugars, 17g protein -- PointsPlus® value 5* Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Click to download a printer-friendly version! 1 large low-fat, high-fiber, burrito-size tortilla with about 100 calories (like this kind by La Tortilla Factory) 1/3 cup fat-free ricotta cheese 1 tbsp. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/8 tsp. salt, or more to taste Dash black pepper 4 thin slices plum tomato 4 fresh basil leaves Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put tortilla on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Bake in the oven until slightly crispy, 3 - 5 minutes per side. Leave oven on. In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese with mozzarella cheese. Set aside. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Immediately stir onion into cheese mixture. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Spread cheese-onion mixture evenly on top of the tortilla. Top with tomato slices and basil leaves. If you like, sprinkle with a dash of salt. Return pizza to the oven and bake until hot, about 5 minutes. Slice and enjoy. Pizza for one! MAKES 1 SERVING