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This is my motivation. These two sexy bastards. Damn. I can...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 22:08:37 -0600

This is my motivation. These two sexy bastards. Damn. I can almost NOT handle this much in one photo.

Ian Somerhalder and Jared Leto

Vegetarian Chili

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 22:27:00 -0600

I really want to try this:

This vegetarian chili recipe packs twice the protein punch with both beans and tofu. Vegetarian chili is always a great idea to bring to a potluck, since it’s easy to whip up a large batch. See also: More vegetarian chili recipes

Ingredients:

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 14 oz package of firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 28 oz can whole or diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 28 oz can kidney beans, drained
3 tbsp sugar

Preparation:

In a large pot, sautee the tofu in the vegetable oil over medium high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the onions, green pepper, garlic, mushroms, chili powder, salt and pepper, cayenne and cumin. Cook until veggies are just barely tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, whole or diced tomatoes, beans and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer. Cover and allow to cook for at least 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings of homemade chili.

Nutritional information, per serving:
Calories: 486
% Daily Value:
Total Fat: 9.1g, 14% / Saturated Fat: 1.7g, 9%
Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%
Sodium: 313mg, 13%
Total Carbohydrates: 77.4g, 26%
Dietary Fiber: 19.1g, 76%
Protein: 28.9g
Vitamin A 47%, Vitamin C 72%, Calcium 21%, Iron 49%

Day Ten

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0600

3(3((10 Jumping Jacks) + (5 push ups) + (10 dead lifts) + (15 crunches))) = Jell-o limbs

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Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:14:08 -0600

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Wed, 25 Jul 2012 09:11:15 -0600

Day Eight...

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:15:37 -0600

Days four through seven got away from me :/

Anyway…

Second session with my Trainer, Ashley

Ugh, I was finally getting over being sore and then she makes me do more! I can’t blame her because I’m paying for it.

Today’s workout:

15 minutes walking (3.3 mph)
12 leg down curls (?) each leg *The machine where you put your leg on top of a bar and there’s another thing pressing your knee down* Weight #4
12 leg up curls (?) each leg *The machine where you put below a bar thing and press up* Weight #4
12 tip toe squats
20 jump to each foot *Put a small ball on the floor and then jump to each side and landing on one foot*
15 each jump right-left on one foot at a time *Try to balance on one foot and jump to each side*
12 lifts *Used the 20lb bar started at my chin then raised it up then behind my head, up, then back to my chin*
12 weight lifts *Used two barbell weights and kept arms straight down then raised them out at my side*
12 really difficult things *Holding myself up, arms behind my back on a weight bench and legs out at a 90 degree angle, lowered myself with my arms then alternated touching the opposite foot upon pushing myself up*

All this was done a second time.

These only done once:

20 side to side touches *Used a 4lb ball and had my back raised and my legs up in a 90 degree angle and held the ball at each side without moving the rest of my body*
20 ball rolls *In the same position as above but the ball was on the floor under my legs and my hands pushed the ball to each side*
5 minutes walking backwards on a treadmill

My trainer says I have *really* bad knees and this is why I have terrible balance. She was very proud of herself with the workout she planned :P She also recommended that I should do some yoga for my balance; therefore, I texted Shawndra and we decided to have two sessions a week (1-1.5 hours each) of yoga. Tomorrow will be our first session. Also, she emphasized how I NEED more protein in my diet. Psh, like I didn’t already know that.

~~~~~~~~

Grocery shopping! This is my mission.

*Awkwardly enough, I ran into the main trainer guy at Wal-Mart… we smiled and said hello. It was weird he recognized me. I was thinking as I saw him, “He looks really familiar. Wow, he’s buff. He must think he’s cool because he has his sunglasses on upside down behind his head. Oh wait! I know this guy.” I knew exactly who he was once he smiled. He has a very notable smile.

The damage:

Whole Wheat Rotini
Honey Wheat Bagels
Bagel Chips
Almond Milk Plain
Frosted Mini Wheats
Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Light String Cheese
Block of Mozzarella
Garbanzo beans
6 Kiwis
Asparagus (Never had)
Head of Cauliflower
6 Nectarines (Never had)
Drink mixes (Blueberry Acai and Raspberry Lemonade)
6 Protein bars
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Let’s see how this goes.

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Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:48:47 -0600

Day Three

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:14:00 -0600

First Training session!

Got to the gym early, therefore = warm up
10 minutes/100 calories on the walk/jog elliptical thing
5 minutes/? calories on the treadmill walking at a pace of 3.5

Trainer, Ashley was right on time (okay maybe like a minute or two late because she had to find me). After I did my five minutes on the treadmill, it was time to pump it up.

Exercises:

Pull ups - Grabbed the bar jumped as high as I could go (while holding onto the bar) and then ease down as slow as possible. 15 reps

Tried dead lift squats, but failed because I have bad knees, so wall/ball squats - Huge ass ball behind my back and eased down into squat position then up again. 15 reps

Jumping squats - Arms bend with fists by my shoulders, jump with arms moving in the air then as I come back down into a squat with fists back at my shoulders. 15 reps

Weighted squats - Bicep curled holding 10lb weights by shoulders, go down into a squat, come back up raising weights over my head then back down again. 15 reps

Push-ups - Knees on the ground, then push…up… 15 reps

Butt Busters - On hands and knees, lift right leg up like a dog then bring in a circle around to my arm then round back. 20 reps each side

Deep V’s - lie on your back with legs off the ground, arms stretched flat then bring both legs and arms up to touch toes (or attempt to) 15 reps

Pacman - On back, legs in a 90 degree angle and calves perpendicular to the ground, arms by hips barely off the ground, then crunch! pulling legs/ head closer together (like a PACMAN!) 15 reps

Then REPEAT.

I did also do five minutes of walk/jog elliptical while trying to remember what I ate for the last two days because, like an idiot, I forgot my food log on the dining table.

Cool down - 6 minutes walking on the treadmill at 3.2 speed and 6 inclined.

~~~~~~~~~~

After my session, I decided I needed to go to the store to pick up a few things.

I bought:

Potassium - because bananas make my tummy hurt, but I get bad leg cramps
10lb bag of Idaho potatoes
Pita bread
Parmesan cheese
Broccoli crown
A few avocados
Pink lady apples (yum)

~~~~~~~~~~

For lunch, I made this oven roasted parmesan broccoli. I ate the whole crown!

Ingredients

1 head broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. Cut the broccoli lengthwise keeping the stalk and broccoli florets intact. (The long broccoli spears should resemble trees.) Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to coat and roast until nicely caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn broccoli over and sprinkle with grated the Parmesan. Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.

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Dinner was pretty delicious, but…I did eat too much.

Garbanzo beans
Romaine lettuce
Brown rice
Cucumbers
Ranch dressing

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Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:08:25 -0600

Day Two

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:02:00 -0600

This is my day off, but also my day to find recipes and whatnot to keep me healthy!

Breakfast: Smart Start cereal with my soy milk (I have to finish it soon because my trainer recommends almond milk)
Snack: Cantaloupe, honeydew melon, green seedless grapes
Lunch: Strawberry whey protein powder in soy milk
Snack: A slice of cheese

I made an awesome dinner (took me about an hour), mostly because of the rice.

I made:

Lemon, mustard and avocado potato salad

serves two as a side

1 overflowing handful of new potatoes, scrubbed. Use the freshest ones you can find!
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp salt + freshly ground black pepper
twice as much extra virgin olive oil as lemon juice (best oil you can get – it should come out green-yellow. It won’t taste olive-y in the final dish still)
1/2 tsp mustard (dijon or wholegrain)
optional but highly recommended: 1 “leaf?” spring onion (the green bit), very finely chopped
1 small ripe avocado
1 handful of baby spinach and arugula/rocket, or mesclun mix. Arugula is wickedly good in this.

Chop potatoes into even sizes, so that no side is longer than 3cm (about 1 1/4″). Cover with cold water in an appropriately sized pot and put on medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer at least 5 minutes or until a small sharp knife inserted receives very little resistance (if when you knife the potato it has to push other potatoes out of the way, you’re definitely not done yet!). Drain and immerse in cold water for a minute before draining again and letting potatoes dry out for minute (leave pot uncovered).

While potatoes are cooking, whisk all other ingredients except avocado and salad greens together in your serving bowl (with a whisk or fork). It should thicken and the oil should be totally incorporated with the lemon juice. Halve avocado, scoop out chunks of the flesh and stir into the dressing. The avocado doesn’t have to keep its shape. Add the dried potatoes to the bowl along with the salad greens (or add at the last minute if leaving overnight) and stir everything together. Cover and refrigerate if serving later.

***I added just regular romaine lettuce***

Brown Rice

1 cup short, medium, or long-grain brown rice
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds. Bring 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. Add the rice, stir it once, and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Pour the rice into a strainer over the sink.

2. Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return it to the pot, off the heat. Cover the pot and set it aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes. Uncover the rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt.

MAKES 2 CUPS

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Then I just warmed up some garbanzo beans and added it in with my lettuce and rice. Next time, though, I want to add some seasoning or spices to the beans because the flavor of the beans was kind of ewy and just would have preferred a different taste. I really do like chili seasoning…maybe I’ll add that to the beans in a recipe.

Day One

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0600

Meeting with my trainer, Ashley

10:00 am

Met my trainer, Ashley, at the gym bright and early. Though we were not going to work out, I was still prepared in my gear (just in case). We discussed the types of vitamins that I needed (multi-vitamin, vitamin D, and calcium). Along with that I was given a list of foods that are healthy alternatives to typical foods that people just grab.

Example:

Peanut butter vs. Almond butter
White rice vs. Brown rice

We set out guidelines that I am to follow and I vocalized my fitness goals.

Goals: Be physically fit, toned, and overall, healthy. Oh, and perhaps losing 35 pounds would be nice as well.

These goals, I was told, would be completely possible to do within 6 months. My joy was overflowing. Why 6 months? Because I leave for London/Paris in January and I’m going to be taking a lot of pictures there; therefore, I was to look my best and perhaps find a suitable husband with a hot accent.

Here is my beginning weight:

164 lbs.

Here is my “goal” weight:

130 lbs.

Here are my beginning measurements:

Bust -36”
Waist -29”
Navel -37”
Hips - 45”
Thigh - 27”

So my “goal” measurements, of course:

Bust - 36”
Waist - 24”
Hips - 36”

Ha. Let’s see how that works out. Though, Sir-Mix-Alot says only if she’s 5’3”, and I, sir, am 5’2”.

Immediately after our meeting, I went straight to the store so I could begin my new life change. Here is what I bought:

Smart Start cereal
Strawberry Whey Protein powder
Women’s Multi-Vitamin
Vitamin D
Calcium
Brown Rice
Raw Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
Almond Butter
Whole Wheat English Muffins
3 Cucumbers
Bag o’ Carrots
A whole Cantaloupe
A whole Honeydew Melon

I am on the road to success. I peeled and cut the carrots into seven servings for each day, along with seven servings of cucumbers. I did the same with the cantaloupe and the melon by ziploc-ing them into seven separate bags. This is so I have an easy snack to just grab out of the fridge and put in my purse and I already know the serving amount. I thought this would be easier since I’m supposed to eat between 5-6 times a day.

The first day was tough. I went over to a friend’s new home for a house warming party. There were homemade cinnamon rolls… I ate half of one. My trainer gave me a sheet to keep track of the foods that I eat throughout the day so she can get a feel for my diet. I did pretty well with only that indulgence.

Breakfast: Smart Start cereal and soy milk
Snack: cantaloupe and honeydew melon
Lunch: 1/2 an English muffin with almond butter
Snack: 1/2 a cinnamon roll
Dinner: 1/2 an English muffin with almond butter
Snack: Strawberry Daquiri, raw almonds

So yes, I did have half a cinnamon roll and a strawberry daquiri, but hey, it’s the first day and I can’t just deprive myself of everything!

Water intake needs to be at least 3 quarts a day plus 8 ounces more for every 25 pounds overweight. Damn. That means I needs 3 quarts and 8 ounces a day… I need to get on that.

Let’s keep it up tomorrow!

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Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:38:24 -0600