Spring Means Summer and Summer Means Frozen Treats!

March 20, 2015 by kpjenn

According to science and planets and stuff, Spring is here. Allegedly. As I’m writing this (Thursday night), I’m looking at a snowflake in my forecast for tomorrow, so really, I’ll believe that Spring is here when I see it.

But, being that Spring is technically here, I think it’s fair to say that Summer is right around the corner. That makes me really excited. Because Summer means sunshine and warmth (and humidity… but I’m not really excited about that part). Summer means running outside and sunburns (I’m Irish and German. We don’t do tans). Summer means movies in the park and laying by the pool. And Summer means frozen treats to beat the heat!

Last week… I cheated and got a head start on Summer because I’m impatient and I just couldn’t wait. Here I was, meandering through Whole Foods, and while I was in the frozen foods aisle, I was struck with a craving for my favorite smoothie meal.

Acai Bowls.

Acai amazingness

These things tho.

I think I’ve had one of these a day for the last week. I’m not exaggerating. I might need to get some variety in my diet. Right now though, I really just want another one of these beauties.

“Caveman” Bowl

Half of a frozen banana or a handful of frozen blueberries

1 Sambazon unsweetened Acai smoothie pack

Tablespoon of Peanut Butter (or 2 TB of PB2)

1 cup of almond milk or coconut water (or whatever liquid you want. I don’t usually measure it, I just throw it in the blender and add more if I need it.)

Dates

Unsweetened Coconut flakes

Granola (Gluten-free if you can find it. Trader Joe’s has a couple of delightful varieties.)

Chia Seeds

Throw the frozen fruit, acai, PB, and liquid of choice into the blender. Make it creamy dreamy. Pour into a bowl. Top with sliced dates, coconut, Granola, chia… the options are endless. Mostly, just fill it up with delicious stuff. Then nom. Hard.

Those acai bowls fill me up and keep me full for hourrrrrrssssss. Not joking. I’ve made one for breakfast the last couple of days and I haven’t even felt a little bit hungry until lunch… six hours later. Brilliant. Sometimes I like to experiment with the plethora of possibilities for these delicious treats. I think the next one will be green – I have some spinach that I need to use up – and I have some frozen mango and strawberries that might be tasty together. We’ll see. We’ll see.

Mayhaps these delicious frozen treats will help propel me through marathon training (because if you haven’t heard, I’m toying with a few options for 26.2 this summer. San Fran? It could happen. Or Baltimore? To be determined.) Or maybe they’ll just make me feel better after a long day at the office and in the gym. I’ll eat them either way.

What are your favorite summertime treats? Do you have any tried-and-true, go-to meals to fuel your training?

Do You Supplement?

February 23, 2015 by camoozle

I’ve been struggling to get back into my workout and diet routine. The aftermath of the holiday free for all wreaked havoc on my routines. Then I went back to work and immediately got sick. Two months and one antibiotic later, I’m finally getting back to the gym. Everything is heavier and I’m so much more fatigued during my workouts. It seems like my muscles are taking longer to get back to normal and I’m just plain tired. Additionally, I’ve felt pretty weighed down from my consistent diet of chips and salsa and margaritas. So I went online to look for some stuff. It’s overwhelming how many pills and adaptogen complex powders there are out there in supplement land. I’ve used DoTerra products before and I’m assuming they’re pretty natural so this is what I chose:

This is a ridiculous amount of pills and I’m taking them all day long. And, well, they tend to get things moving, if you know what I mean. And by get things moving, I mean bowel moving. They’re definitely are cleaning me out. But I don’t have any more energy and they’re so darn expensive. There is a huge market for people like me who don’t really like things that are hard like eating vegetables and exercise. I worry about the nutrients my body isn’t getting from my diet. I try to keep it balanced, but let’s get real. I have a job, grad school, kids…I don’t always have time for good choices. And there is no way I can eat half my weight in protein every day. Are supplements a legitimate way to get what I need? Web MD had this interesting article. And then there was this:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/new-york-attorney-general-targets-supplements-at-major-retailers/

This is scary stuff, man. I tend to live on the natural side of life. But I have purchased every type of vitamin, drop, serum, powder, etc…there is trying to balance my desire for health with my desire for things like sleep and macaroni and cheese.

I have friends who swear by their supplements. They have this perfectly orchestrated concoction. I just haven’t had that moment, I guess, where me and my supplements truly understand each other and become one with the universe. What are your thoughts, scootadooters? Are you and your supplements in a committed relationship? Or is it all bologna?

Day 12 of the 21 Day No Junk Challenge

January 23, 2015 by Meridith

Have you ever heard this saying?

How about this one?

Because I have… for years. I’ve seen them on tumblr. Heard my trainer mutter the sentiments as he ~~rants~~ asks kindly about our eating habits.

However, that is exactly what I was trying to do, for the past few months. It will surprise approximately no one that it wasn’t working.

NO MORE! I decided to take on the 21 Day No Junk Challenge. It doesn’t include magic potions, wands, wraps, etc. It’s simply being mindful of everything I eat, every move I make, every breath I take. Oh wait, this isn’t a Police song, is it?

Right now I’m over halfway through the challenge and I’ve lost 4 pounds since I start 12 days ago. What the what? That can’t be right, can it? But it is.

And I’ve told everyone who will listen because this doesn’t usually happen for me. But here I am and it’s been 12 days and I am working hard and I’m down four pounds.

I started at 158 but didn’t think to take a picture.

So what exactly am I doing? (Besides challenging my inner Destiny’s Child with No, No, No…)

1. Really, really, really watching the snacking.

Just call me the mindless snacker. Bored? Stressed? That calls for a snack!

I love snacking. However, when a snack involves thought, you question if you really want/need it.

And when you DO, you land on things like these:

Yum!

Om nom nom.

My choices have all been delicious and smart choices. I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself at all. I feel like I’m fueling myself!

Ahem, that’s not to say that I wasn’t craving sugar the first week. There was one evening in particular that I thought that I absolutely needed ice cream.

2. Support group, rally!

“I want candy.”

“I think I really need wine tonight.”

These are the texts I sent to Brooke and Bec last week. And then they sent supportive texts back telling me why I didn’t need those things and gave me alternatives instead.

It takes a village and I am so grateful for mine.

3. Really, really, really watching the steps.

Every day = 10,000 steps (at least)

No excuses.

If this means getting on the treadmill in 20 minute increments while my little dude is sick with a never-ending cold, I will do it. If it means that I can get it all done in one shot with a 5 mile run, I will do that.

Whatever it takes. Additionally, I don’t limit myself to running. If I feel like speed walking, that’s what I do.

As further motivation, I’ve got challenges going on with my Fitbit pals. So throughout the day, I’ll get messages like this:

Back off, Moe!

When I see messages like this one, it makes me want to get moving and beat Maureen. And Cyanne. And everyone else.

4. When I work out and eat well, I feel really good. (Sore, but good.)

I think I might need to invest in regular massages because I’ve got to say that upping the intensity of my workouts has me with a few more aches and pains than I’m used to. That “good sore” is teetering on the edge of “sore sore” on certain days.

On the flip side of that, I’m also feeling good. More toned, more “in shape”. I don’t know actually how true that is, especially after only 12 days. There are no abs to speak of yet, but if I continue this… if it’s more of an every day challenge and not just a 21 day thing, who knows!

With all of this, I need to have that healthy balance, as sometimes I can get a little disordered in my thinking. So I’m not tracking my food and after this challenge is over, I’ll be cutting back on the scale/weight thing to every couple of weeks.

I need to do what works for me so that I can succeed and ultimately do the best by me that is possible.

There’s my update. I’ll be checking in again once I hit 21 days; but I want to hear from you, too!

If you’re doing the no junk food challenge, Whole 30, Whole 60 (Kyle is on round two, holla!), no beets, no nasty stares, whatever you’re doing… I want to hear about it. What are your struggles? What’s been easier than you thought it would be?

Not Gonna Half A** My First 1/2

January 5, 2015 by Jennifer

Today is a BIG day for me. Exactly fourteen weeks from today, I will be in Atlantic City with a few of my fellow Chicks, laughing and eating and giggling and running in the AC April Fool’s Half Marathon. It will be my first half, and I really want to have a strong race. It’s important to me that I’m able to keep up with Mer, Vic, and Cam because it’s not often that I get to run with my girls. I registered for the race many moons ago, determined to train safely over ten months. I stuck to that over the summer, but then the fall semester started up and training was replaced with homework.

Blahhhhhh.

So here I am, fourteen weeks out from my first half marathon and not nearly where I wanted to be. Same old song and dance, right? YUP. Not for long, though, because this girl has a plan.

Jenn’s First Half Training Plan:

Start Training in Earnest. I found a fourteen week half marathon training plan from Women’s Running Magazine that I think will work well for me. I’m super excited to start it, and even though day one (today) is a “rest day”, it is SO ON tomorrow. The plan offers enough flexibility with the strength training and cross training that I can pick activities that I enjoy like rock climbing and vinyasa yoga. Yay for variety! Without variety, I know I would fail a few weeks in.

Eat healthier. Notice I didn’t say eat clean or diet. I’ve accepted that there are few things in life that I just cannot and will not give up. My life without any bacon, chocolate, or those blasted lemon poppy seed scones the local store bakery sells really couldn’t be called life. What I need to practice is moderation.

I’m like Rick Astley with these things.

Also, I could do a better job of satisfying my demanding sweet tooth with healthy alternatives like the chocolate chip chia seed energy bites from Gimmesomeoven. I made them yesterday and my husband called them “balls of yummy goodness.” I was forced to tell him to back off my chocolate fix. It was about to get ugly.

No Bake Energy Bites Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

Stay Motivated This is likely the most difficult aspect of training in any sport. The strategy I chose was to carefully plot out my goals and the plan for achieving them. I created an achievement board, a training calendar outlining the 14 week plan, and organized a cork board to act as a half marathon command center. I was sure to highlight the reasons why I enjoy running such as the sense of accomplishment after a race and how it helps me burn off negative energy. I also broke up my goals into to smaller more manageable segments because I have a tendency to overwhelm myself with the BIG picture.

Board of awesome!

Accept My Limits I discovered this fall that running in cold weather aggravates my asthma too much. The treadmill at the office gym and I are soon to be quite well acquainted. I can’t continue to let asthma hold me back eight months out of the year. I HAVE THINGS TO DO, LUNGS! I am terrified of getting bored on the treadmill early on in my training. Audio books are definitely on tap, and I’m going to try to learn meditation running. I’ve been wanting to read “Running With The Mind of Meditation” for a while now. Anyone have any experience with this technique?

Read to Achieve!

That’s it, that’s my plan. Admittedly, I’m sort of winging, but it’s my plan nonetheless. More importantly, I want to hear your go-to training strategies, as well as what you feel doesn’t work for you. Please share your wisdom with me, I’d be so grateful! I might even make you some balls of yummy goodness.

How do you stay motivated? Do you have a favorite training workout? Do you have to hide your chocolate stash from your husband like I do? Let’s trade hiding places in the comments!

Crazy Christmas Coping

December 17, 2014 by Jennifer

Let’s be honest, the joyous holiday season is sometimes not very joyous. The decorating and shopping and party going and hosting and cooking takes a toll on us. I didn’t even mention the cleaning for guests, the wrapping of presents, or the shelving of the elf.

Carlos is concerned. (Mer is so clever.)

And there are those members of the family that just lie around, soaking up the Christmas cheer while you do all the work.

SHINY TWINKLES.

Can I open my presents YET?

All the hustle and bustle can zap us of our holiday cheer. I know you know that I know that you know. We all know the trick is to remember what the season is really about and to focus on the big stuff. To be clear, by big stuff I do not mean giant tins of caramel corn. There are techniques to avoid eating your holiday malaise because your visiting relatives are driving you bonkers. Here are some ways we cope with the Christmas crazy.

Crazy Christmas Coping Tip 1: Many Christmas’ past, my family decided to draw names instead of buying gifts for everyone. It’s quite possible that this is the best family decision we ever made. Here’s how it works in our jolly clan. After Christmas dinner, the adults each draw a name, and they buy for that person the next Christmas. This strategy gives us a year to shop for the perfect gift at the perfect price. There is a set dollar limit, and we keep track so that someone doesn’t draw the same name two years in a row. Everyone buys gifts for all the kids in the family (as it should be).

Because this is about my level of Christmas spirit come the 25th.

Crazy Christmas Coping Tip 2: Wassail, my friend. Yes, as in “Here we come a wassailing among the leaves so green…” It’s warm, it’s cinnamon-y, it’s divine. It’s an inexpensive cupful of winter warmth and cheer that guests will rave about. Plus, it’s just the thing to curl up with Christmas night when the kids are tucked away in bed and you can enjoy the blessings of the day like your family and your health and the existence of wassail.

Always buy the BIG bottle of rum.

Crazy Christmas Coping Tip 3: Why is setting reasonable expectations of ourselves and our time SO HARD? We feel like we can do it all and then some and still be creative and adorable to boot. We totally can be that person who hosts a gingerbread house party and makes her own gifts because we can do it all. But we shouldn’t have to. So we need to delegate. We need to make parties we’re hosting a potluck. We need to shop online to free up time and stress. We need not worry about getting it all done. Instead, we focus on doing what we realistically can accomplish and remember that those who love us don’t us judge us.

Lots of stockings on the wall means a big happy family lives here.

This goes without saying, but this season, try to remember what’s truly important. Pause and be grateful for your blessings. As life swirls on around us, the need to take a moment every day to be present and compassionate is more important than ever.

How Mer retains her sanity:

The majority of my holiday shopping is done online. We hit the stores here and there for little specialty gifts but otherwise I am Amazon Prime’s biggest fan!

Additionally, I’m cutting down on the hustle and bustle of this time of year by taking short cuts. Usually I bake cookies for all of my neighbors but this year I saw tins with shortbreads – 4 for $10 – at Sam’s Club. We have four neighbors, how convenient! Done.

I’m trying to focus on what’s important to me and my family and not stress about the rest.

Wassail Recipe:

In a crock pot or large stove top pot, combine 1 part oj to 1 part cranberry juice to 2 parts apple cider. Add rum or spiced rum to taste. Add ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of allspice. Stud an orange with cloves and tie 2-3 cinnamon sticks together and drop them in the pot. Let simmer and serve hot. The alcohol will burn off after a while so you may need to add more.

Enjoy, and be sure to collect people’s keys!

How do you cope with holiday stress (besides running your feelings out)? What are your favorite holiday traditions? Does the Elf on the Shelf creep you out, too?

Breakfast Protein: And the Eggs Have It

September 26, 2014 by bec2point0

I think I featured eggs in each one of my breakfast protein posts. Yup, here, when it was so hot I couldn’t cook. Totally here, when I was all about breakfast on the go. Even here, when I featured and awesome lemon-y recipe in honor of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Million Mile Run-Walk-Ride.

So, do they need their own post?

They do. In my search for good sources of protein for breakfast, eggs showed up more than anything else. They’re versatile, generally easy to prepare and with 6 grams of protein per 78 calorie large egg, you get a lot of bang for your buck (which goes a long way, because eggs are also typically a cheap protein source, even if you’re buying the good, cage free, pastured, organic ones, or fresh from a local farm, which I highly recommend).

I’ve made eggs a bazillion* ways. Hard boiled. Soft boiled. Poached. Fried. Over easy. Over medium. Over well. Scrambled. Baked. Omelette. And they’re all good! But these are a few of my recent favorites.

*Slight exaggeration

Mexican Scramble

This is my favorite easy, throw together, toss in whatever you’ve got, breakfast.

Cheese? Sure. What kind? Cheddar? Pepperjack? Yes. Or Yes.

Black beans? Chili? Salsa? Go for it! One of those. All of those*.

Avocado? Most def. Sour cream? If that lights your fire.

Kitchen Sink Breakfast

And if you don’t have some of those things, they will still be super yummy and filling. I used egg beaters here, because I had some, but regular eggs, or egg whites, would be just as tasty.

*Okay, maybe not all at the same time. I don’t want you to need a post breakfast nap.

Italian Baked Eggs

You GUYS. These are SO good.

Italian Style Baked Eggs

And with four ingredients, it’s barely even cooking. You all probably know by now, I don’t really ‘recipe’, but I’ll break this down for you.

4 large eggs

1 cup of marinara sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and then spread the marinara over the bottom of the dish. Crack the eggs on top of the sauce, spreading them out as much as you can. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, avoiding the yolks. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Throw some fresh basil chiffonade on top.

I took a picture before I inhaled these. The struggle is real.

Shove in mouth. Cry over amazing yumminess and burnt tongue. Take picture and post on Instagram*.

*Optional, but appreciated.

Poached Eggs and Sweet Potato & Apple Hash

Poaching might be my favorite way to prepare eggs, especially since I got these kick ass poach pods. Total game changer.

My babies

And then there’s hash. Which is awesome. And another dish where you can throw in a bunch of whatever. In this case, I had some left over pork chop, a couple of small sweet potatoes that I wasn’t sure what to do with, an apple and an onion. What am I going to do with that? Make hash, of course.

Delicious, hearty, all kinds of autumn flavored*. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Hash and eggs, healthy style.

*Flavors of autumn. Not flavored like autumn. Because what would that even taste like? Dried leaves?

So, I hope you guys have enjoyed following me on my hunt for protein-y breakfasts! I’m totally not done talking about breakfast either. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting a review of MyOatmeal.com, and I’ll be doing a taste test of all the pumpkin yogurts I’ve found. Cool? Cool!

What’s your favorite way to prepare eggs? Any other breakfast protein suggestions? Other breakfast items you want to talk about? Want to just head over to Bec’s house for breakfast? Let’s go!

Recipe Box: Watermelon sangria

July 18, 2014 by vfreile

Earlier this month my mama-in-law introduced me to a light, tasty adult summer drink – watermelon sangria!

We made this adult beverage at a family party and it was quite the hit. We’re a family of foodies, so know high standards were met, folks!

So since it’s my sister’s birthday today – and she loves all sorts of sangria – I thought I’d share this gift with everyone! And Happy Birthday Sissy!

Without further adieu, here’s what you’ll need to create my new favorite drink of champions:

– 12-14 cups of cubed watermelon, divided

– 1 (750ML) bottle of dry white wine

– 1 cup vodka

– 1/2 cup triple sec

– 1/2 cup simple syrup (sugar and water mixture)

– 1 medium lime, chopped and quartered

– 2 oranges, cut into thin sliced

– 1 cup (or so) of fresh blueberries

Got everything together? Great. Now start with the watermelon. I’d seriously chopped up 3 within the 24 hour span before making this so I was verging on expert, I like to think.

1. Place 9 cups of watermelon cubes in a blender; blend on high until very smooth. It’s incredibly wise not to do it all at once, but in parts, say 3 cups at a time. Otherwise your blender might get overwhelmed and quit.

2. Strain juice through a mesh strainer into a large pitcher. We used a huge thermos instead of a pitcher. We also used a spoon to help push the blended watermelon through the strainer.

3. Pour the wine, vodka, triple sec and simple syrup into the pitcher. Stir to combine. We used generous amounts of the alcohol.

4. Mix the remaining 3 cups of watermelon cubes (I made them really small), the lime and orange sections and blueberries into the sangria. Stir.

5. Chill for 4 hours before serving. I skipped this last step and just added ice. You could go crazy and do both.

Drink and enjoy! You will soon become the hit of the party.

What’s your go-to summer drink? Do you ever add fruit to your adult beverage?

Guest post: Meal prep anyone?

July 17, 2014 by scootadoot

Hi everyone! *waves*

My name is Tyra, and I’m here to talk about meal prepping! It’s something that I’ve done now for a few months regularly and it has changed my life by saving me time, money and keeping me on track with my nutrition goals.

Every Sunday, (or sometimes Monday, depending on how our weekend went) I spend 1-3 hours preparing all of our lunches and often the main parts of our dinner for the week. Each prepared meal lasts the work week in the fridge.

When I’m done with my meal prep for the week, I take a picture of it all laid out and post to my Instagram and Facebook accounts. This has created a buzz amongst my friends, which is fun but really what I love to see are the questions, and then people doing it themselves and posting their own pictures as well. People don’t believe me at first when I tell them how easy it really is, but once they do it themselves, they see the truth!

Here are a few examples of what my weeks look like:

Here are the main items / ingredients I use for food prepping:

1. Containers

I use Glad Ware containers but you can use whatever you have. I have regular sized containers and half cup containers for smaller items.

2. Food Scale, measuring cups and measuring spoons

3. Protein

Ground turkey (I get 99% or 93%)
Chicken breast or chicken breast tenderloin (I just get the frozen bags)
Cod, tilapia or salmon
Adelle’s Chicken Sausages
Egg Whites

4. Pasta (for race weeks!)

5. Veggies

Canned tomatoes (or fresh)
Asparagus
Green Beans
Broccoli

6. Complex Carb

Quinoa
Brown rice
Black beans
Sweet potatoes (or red potatoes)

7. Seasoning

Mrs. Dash Seasoning and Taco Seasoning (low sodium if possible) or make own taco seasoning, sea salt
Pico de Gallo (either make or buy it) and/or jar salsa or Franks Hot Sauce, Sriracha, etc.)

8. Misc

EVOO, Coconut Oil and cooking spray

Now that you’ve got all of your ingredients, here’s what I do, in the order I do it:

Grab your containers and place them out on a table so you can easily place ingredients into the containers.

1. Rice/Quinoa: Grab a rice cooker. Measure out the quinoa/rice and water. (1 part dry and 2 parts water) Get that cooking in the rice cooker. (You can mix them or make them separately, or prepare one or the other – it’s up to you!)

2. Sweet Potatoes: Wash and boil till they’re soft. I have also sliced like coins and baked so they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Or, if you want to start these in the morning and walk away, wrap them in foil and cook on high for a few hours (or low if you’ll be leaving for the day).

3. Protein:

Ground turkey: prepare like taco meat on the stove. Play around with the seasoning.
Steak: I use my George Foreman Grill or our BBQ. I pretty much sear each side leaving the middle very pink as it will cook more when you reheat.
Adelle’s sausages: Easiest of them all! Place it in the container out of the fridge, or cut up first to make things really easy at lunch time.
Fish: I bake in the oven.
Chicken: bake on a cookie sheet in the oven according to package directions.
Egg Whites (for breakfast) I use a mini loaf pan. It makes 8 mini loaves. Spray the pan with cooking spray, add 6 T egg whites (I use the carton egg whites) and some chopped spinach, or whatever veggies you like in an omelet, and bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. They take 30 seconds to reheat in the microwave in the morning!

4. Pasta: (If you are doing pasta for the week) Boil as you normally would.

5. Veggies:

Green beans: open can and drain.
Asparagus: steam for a minute. You want these to be really crisp because they will cook more when you reheat.
Broccoli: same as asparagus. Undercook, as it will cook more when you reheat.

6. Black Beans: Open can, drain and rinse

7. Pasta: Boil as normally would.

Measure and weigh each item out and place into your containers with tight lids.

With regards to how much to put in, I start with 1 serving of each item but you can adjust by adding the amount you need for your nutrition goals. If you need more protein and less carbs, go heavier on the chicken or turkey and less on the quinoa and rice. It’s up to you. 🙂

Here’s an example of the nutrition on one of the meals I make:

3-4 oz of meat. (100 – 150 calories, 0 carb, 1 fat, 24 protein, 125 sodium)
100 grams sweet potato (100 calories, 21 carb, 0 fat, 2 protein, 36 sodium)
1/2 cup quinoa/rice mixture (150 calories, 22 carb, 0 fat, 3 protein, 5 sodium)
1/2 cup green beans or several spears of asparagus (25 calories, 4 carb, 0 fat, 2 protein, 13 sodium)
Seasoning: (sea salt or Mrs. Dash’s, or Frank’s hot sauce, Sriracha or Pico de Gallo)

Per serving: (approximate)

Calories: 375
Carbs: 49
Fat: 2
Protein: 31
Sodium: 480

Play around with the measurements for your nutrition goals!

Some things to keep in mind:

The meals that keep “fresh” the longest are the ground turkey meals.
The chicken meals last well too, even better if you were to prepare the chicken in the crock pot and add a little juice to the meals
Beef – while I really enjoy this one, I’ve learned to prepare on the “rare” side, as when you re-heat, it will cook more.
Fish – When I prepare this, I try to use this in the first few days. I am sure it will last longer, no air gets into your containers but I don’t like to take chances!
Don’t be afraid of seasoning! You can make ground turkey for the entire week and it will taste different every meal if you add pico, or add Mrs. Dash’s or whatever sauce / seasoning sounds good to you!

So there you have it. It still might look a little daunting but I encourage you to try it for a month to see that it really is easier than it looks. And when you do, please reach out to me and show me yours! I love new ideas!

Happy Meal Prepping!

You can keep up with Tyra’s weekly meal prep via her Instagram page and see more past posts on her WordPress Blog as well.

How’s It Going, Bec?

July 16, 2014 by bec2point0

Well, since you asked…

I’ve been meaning to post a status update of sorts for a while. You know, the skinny (or not so skinny) on how things have been since I rejoined Weight Watchers, if the foot is healed, how the gradual walking to C25K to eventual half marathon running training plan is working out, how I’m enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

But every time I sat down to write said progress update post, it wound up reading a bit like this.

I’m still fat*.

My foot hurts.

That half is so far away, I’ve got plenty of time.

Oh, I’m slightly less fat**! Oh wait, nevermind, I’m the same amount of fat again.

Why is Massachusetts hotter than the face of the sun?

Does anyone remember why I wanted to run a half marathon again? I forget.

God, I’m fat***. I wish I had a cookie.

I’ll never run again. Stupid foot, I loathe you.

Oh, cookies! I love cookies!

Walk? In this humidity? ARE YOU INSANE?

You know what is awesome in the humidity? ICE CREAM. WITH COOKIES.

So, while all very true things that I have said, out loud, over the past few months, they don’t exactly make for scintillating blog post reading. But at the end of the day, that has been the state of this particular union.

I don’t want to write one of those posts where I swear to you, and to me, and to everyone in the universe that THIS TIME is the time, that starting now, everything will change. You say those things too often, and I do, they start to sound cheap and hollow. I have, however, starting to realize some things about myself, so I figured I’d share those. with you.

I avoid things that are uncomfortable. Confrontation, weigh-ins I know won’t be in my favor, exercise (especially in the heat), any type of food restriction.

I am a complete creature of habit. I don’t fear change, but I find the action of changing uncomfortable, so… see above.

I am a sheep (baaaaa, Jess). I started running because all of my friends were running. I’m not even sure I like running. (There was a time when I was pretty sure I loved running, even though I agree with Jess that is is boring as all get out). A huge part of the reason I want to run a half marathon is because all my friends have. I don’t think that is the best reason, and I don’t think it’s enough to get me across the finish line.

I kind of like being fat****. Okay, no. I don’t like being fat. But I understand being fat. It is what I know. I have functioned this was for years. Anything that strays from this is change, and thus uncomfortable, and thus… see above.

I really like cookies.

So, it turns out this is one of those rambly posts that sort of goes nowhere. But I think those are okay sometimes? I don’t know, I’ve had a lot on my mind and it feels good to unload some of it.

If you’re curious, the actual status update is that I’m down 1.6 pounds since rejoining Weight Watchers (at week two, there was another 1 at the front of that number), the foot is better but not completely, walking happens when it happens, and I loathe the humidity more than I can talk about.

*Don’t freak out, it’s just a word.

** Seriously, I’m not being all self loathing over here. Just a word, not a weapon.

***Fat. I’m fat. I’m talking about myself, so that pretty much makes it okay to say ‘fat’. But if you want to call me fat, that’s fine too.

****Fatty fatty fat fat 🙂

Road Tested: Cheribundi

July 8, 2014 by vfreile

I’m all over fruit juices from upstate New York farms.

Flavored apple juice from Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, Ontario County – I buy it every time I see it.

Freshly-squeezed Wegmans orange juice? Can’t get enough of it.

So when Cheribundi approached me about trying a sample of the tart cherry juice, I was all over it.

I love cherries, therefore I would love cherry juice, I thought. And I was right.

The juice is tart but refreshing, and the Geneva, New York-based growers boast there are 50 freshly-picked cherries in each bottle.

Lately, I’ve been hearing all about “superfoods,” which are foods supposedly beneficial to your health – like kale, broccoli, berries and lentils. Cherries, of course, are among them.

Cheribundi calls their cherries a “superfruit” since each is packed with phytonutrients, melatonin and vitamins including vitamin A, potassium, iron and calcium.

The original tart cherry juice (my favorite) is 90% pressed tart cherries and 10% apple juice, which sweetens the drink instead of sugar. Yep, that’s no added water or sugar.

Cheribundi teamed with food scientists at Cornell University (ahh, Ithaca, my old home) and researched the benefits of tart cherries, and also created a gentle juicing process to maintain cherries’ levels of melatonin, vitamins, nutrients and other antioxidants.

Rather than take part in Cheribundi’s 7-day challenge, I decided to test the juice each time I returned from what I deemed my worst recent runs, hoping the juice would work its magic powers.

Presto. Each time I felt better. (Not to mention, my hubby was entertained as I repeatedly tried to squeeze every last drop from the bottle).

And there are several types of juices, teas and even smoothies.

The juice is meant to support restful sleep, promote a healthy inflammation response and is deemed “the Ultimate Antioxidant.”

Personally, I love the benefits, but I drink it because its natural, local and darn tasty. A win-win-win!

Plus, I love that the Cherry People are headed up by a man named Pear. (Steve Pear, CEO). Little things just make me smile.

Have you ever had cherry juice? Do you love all things tart and tasty? Have you been to the Finger Lakes, were farmers grow the cherries that becomes Cheribundi juice?

Cheribundi provided the cherry juice for me to taste and review. Opinions and (attempts at) wit are entirely my own.

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