A Week's Worth of Random Thoughts and Pictures

So, blogging is not all that easy.  I have lots of great thoughts and ideas, but between being WAY too busy at work and going to bed by 9 AND cooking clean, it has been hard to keep track of everything.  That is where my iPhone comes in....I've been taking notes and pictures all week and I am going to combine them into a very random blog post...enjoy :)


I got a new apron for Christmas which makes cooking that much more fun!!!!  This was a HUGE pot of gumbo I made.  I didn't mean to make that huge of a pot and the recipe was NOT meant for that huge of a pot either, but after quadrupling the recipe it turned out pretty good!


Okay, here goes my random list...I am typing it word for word in red and adding commentary where necessary.

Grow hair 6 inches- I liked this because it fit in with the "6" theme.  I do not think this will happen in 6 months, but everyone keeps asking so I am going to set the record straight.  YES I am growing out my hair.  I want a ponytail for when I work out.
New app- I saw a friend that had a version of this app for his smartphone, and I had to try it out for iPhone.  It is called myfitnesspal and it is great.  It is super easy to log your food and exercise and you can save meals and add them in one click each day.  It calculates your net calories based on food consumed and exercise preformed.  The only thing I don't like is it doesn't have anything to record bootcamp or plyo type of exercises that burn mucho calories.  You can also make notes on exercises or food.  Yesterday I sat in the sauna and made some notes about my training session so I would remember everything Francis and I talked about later.  Since I am being completely open and honest....here they are:

Work on dead lift form
45 lb bar + 25 pounds , 10 to 15 sets of 10 reps

Single leg lunge with back leg on bench- 10 lbs or less or use smith machine- make sure front leg is far enough in front...back knee should almost touch the floor

Incorporate more plyometrics
- burpees
- mountain climbers

Down 1 lb to 119

GET LEG CHECKED OUT... Possible pinched nerve! 

Eating clean 24/7- I read this in my Oxygen magazine the other day and I didn't like the answer....I will find the article and get back to you all on this one about what exactly it said!!!


Staying motivated and on track: have go to meals, cute lunch kit, stickers on calendar, new pair of clothes, apron or cooking accessories- To keep myself on track I try several different "motivational" tools.  One is putting a sticker on my calendar every day I work out and writing the type of exercise beside it.  I have been doing this for the past 3 years.  In 2010 I worked out 294 times.  On days when I do BodyAttack in the morning and train in the evening I get TWO stickers.  I have used stickers to motivate my Kindergarten students for years, so I thought I'd give it a try.  It really does work because the calendar is in the bathroom and is a daily and constant reminder.  I also post all of my race bibs next to the calendar as another constant reminder.  I have really wanted a new pair of Miss Me jeans, but said I wasn't going to buy a new pair until I could go down a size.  Well, this week-end...I got my pair of jeans!!!!!  They are Affliction instead of Miss Me and I am waiting to get them back from the alteration place (they make jeans WAY too long).  I also know I am growing up because I get excited about new blenders or Tupperware or a cute lunch kit, but these things also motivate me to cook so that I can use them and wear my Vera Bradley apron while I do it (see above).  One of my friends at school said I "eat cute."  My lunch kit is always perfectly pieced together with basically all of the food I eat (except for dinner) each day.  Check out the picture below.  She said once I have kids I will be lucky enough to find a bowl, much less pack my lunch and their lunches each day.


My lunch kit with my banana and protein shake for before and after my workout, oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, yougurt for a morning snack, taco salad fixins for lunch(see recipe below), and a powerCrunch bar for an afternoon snack.  It's all ready the night before to grab on the way out the door with my coffee.

Speaking of go-to meals, I have several that are quick and easy. 

Turkey Taco Salad (pictured above): I cook extra lean ground turkey in taco seasoning, mix it with more taco seasoning, a can of black beans, 1 can of sliced black olives, a can of rotel, chopped red onion, and put a big scoop in a bowl with tons of shredded lettuce and cilantro.  I add a little Herdez green sauce and eat up.  I used to add some shredded Mexican blend cheese and eat with chips but I don't even need that anymore.

Foil Packet Tilapia: Put 2 tilapia filets on the center of a sheet of foil.  Season with blackened seasoning, and top with Rotel (love that stuff), cilantro (love that too), and mushrooms.  Wrap up and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  This is good in place of the turkey in the taco salad recipe above, could be served with a veggie, or even used in a tortilla as a fish taco.  YUMMMM!

...I don't want to give all my secrets away, but I have a few more recipes to come.  This week was all about making the go to, "safe" meals instead of trying to be adventurous and risk failing :)



Weighing 3 lbs less in the am- I weighed myself first thing this morning at the gym and I weighed 3 pounds less than I did last night.  This proves that it is definately all water weight, but still, I suggest weighing yourself in the morning if you want to have a higher self esteem :)

I think that is all my ramblings for now...that is what happens when I wait too long between blogs.  Y'all will be hearing from me soon...Peace Out.

PS- Totally unrelated to health or fitness, but I love this video and suggest you watch it if you need a laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PvPM-o3Vgo