WIAW: Smoothies!

I haven't done a WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday) in awhile.  I had planned to take all kinds of pictures of our glorious food on vacation... and then I just wasn't feeling it.  Perhaps a bit guilty over the choices I made?  I gained 6 lbs over my Myrtle Beach vacation, but this last week I've managed to shed it all off once again.  Was it worth it?  Heck yeah!  I fueled my body for the race of a lifetime AND I had a wonderful vacation to reconnect with my husband (over beer and ice cream!).  There is nothing wrong with jumping off the bandwagon every now and again... as long as you get back on... quickly.

So this week it has been challenging to find my "food zone" once again. I've fallen to temptation several times, but I'm never afraid to work the calories back off... literally as soon as I consume them!

I start my day with coffee. always. no exception...

This week I've been bad about breakfast and grabbed a breakfast bar or banana on the way out the door to the gym.  For lunch, I've been serving up some pretty tasty smoothies for a protein pump after the gym.  Check out my newest creations...

2 large handfuls of spinach + 1/2 c. almond milk + 1/2 frozen banana + 1 t. honey

 + 1 T. ground flaxseed meal + 2 heaping spoonfuls of light vanilla yogurt 

 + 1 small apple + good handful of ice cubes

Throw it all in the blender. Top with light whipped cream. Makes one serving.

300 calories  |  8g protein  |  26g calcium  |  10g fiber

Pin It

3/4 c. almond milk + 3/4 c. orange juice + 1 frozen banana + 1-2 peeled oranges

 + 2 T. ground flaxseed meal + 1 t. vanilla + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

 + 1/2 t. orange extract + sprinkle of cinnamon + good handful of ice cubes

Throw it all in the blender. Top with light whipped cream. Makes two servings.

Pin It

Want more Smoothie Recipes? Check out these from the past...

Pumpkin Smoothie

Peanut Butter Smoothie

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

For dinner, I whipped up these super yummy Mozzarella & Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausages

 (only 120 calories) with some broccoli and red peppers...

 And since we're lovin' veggies this month, I mixed some cucumbers, onions and tomatoes

 with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of ranch for a nice side salad. Delicious and fresh.

Remember that weight loss challenge at my gym?  The final weigh-in is this Saturday. Wish me luck!  My personal goal was to lose 25 lbs during the 55 Day Challenge.  I may be a couple pounds shy, but I'm almost there!

WIAW - Endulgences!

My Facebook followers get a daily dose of "what I eat" since I started photo food journaling in January.  See the full photo album here.  In an attempt not to be redundant, I've skipped a couple What I Ate Wednesdays (WIAW).  Upon your request, I bring it back to share my homemade pizza recipe with you!  Enjoy!

{breakfast}

Coffee and oatmeal with extra raisins, strawberries and walnuts. 

High protein and carbs to fuel a morning swim & spin workout.

225 calories

{lunch}

Tuna wrap with 1/2 apple and veggie straws

355 calories

{afternoon snack}

coffee and a Skinny Cow chocolate bar - 115 calories

{dinner}

Homemade pizza with a salad - 380 calories

{evening snack}

Not pictured: a Fudgsicle sugar-free bar. 40 calories

Daily Total: 1115 calories

One of the hardest parts of dieting for me is missing out on Friday Night Pizza, kind of a tradition in our house. A couple weeks ago, I decided to create my own, as low-cal as I could go.  I've made it three times since - it's that good.  Plus it's a fun activity for the kids to get in the kitchen and create our dinner together.  My kids love to cook with me.
THIN-CRUST PIZZA BY JESSINGREDIENTSFlatout Flatbread (Multi-grain w/Flax)Ragu Pizza Sauce (Homemade style)Finely shredded Mozzarella CheeseHormel Turkey PepperoniChopped Red OnionDiced Fresh Roma TomatoFresh Spinach Leaves
• Preheat oven to 425˚.  Line a cookie sheet with tin foil (helps make the crust crispy).• Spread 1/4 cup pizza sauce onto flatbread.  • Measure out 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle half of it onto of sauce.• Top the pizza with 9 slices of turkey pepperoni, a heaping tablespoon of red onion, a handful of diced tomato, and a healthy handful of spinach leaves (I rip them up into smaller pieces).• Finally top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.  

I let the kids use regular pepperoni and more cheese.
In this one, it looks like I sprinkled on a little cheddar too.

• Bake in oven at 425˚ for about 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on it - I usually don't time it, just pull it out when the sides are crispy and top starts to golden.

• Cool, cut and serve with the side dish of your choice.  I picked a nice salad, while the girls went with oranges and applesauce.

The pizza alone (as measured by the recipe above) is only 260 calories.  Seriously, the WHOLE pizza!  I could live on this!  The salad and dressing added on another 100 calories.
Let me know if you give it a try, your thoughts and any improvisions you make!  Bon Appetite!

What I Ate Wednesday

First of all, THANK YOU for all the love yesterday on my blogiversary!!  Wowza - You know how to make a girl feel good!  I truly appreciate all your kind words and feedback.  If you missed it, head over to be entered into my Blogiversary Giveaway (ends Jan. 17).

• • • • •

Part of January's Food Journal Challenge is taking pictures of the food you eat. I've found this really helpful in eating healthy.  Do I really want to take a picture of THAT?  Easy solution, don't eat it.  Find something you're proud to take a picture of.  I've done super well on food this week because of the photographs.

Here's a sample of my day yesterday...

BREAKFAST

Whole-grain waffle topped with peanut butter and banana

Good fuel for my morning workout!

 LUNCH

Salad loaded with veggies!

SNACK

Apples with peanut butter & raisins

And then for dinner, I tried this new recipe.  Dinners are tough because they have to be family-friendly.  I'm sharing the recipe because this one was a winner.  Healthy, great tasting, easy to make and family-approved!!  Give it a try.

Italian Herb Chicken

Thawed chicken - assorted pieces or breast

Fresh mushrooms

McCormick Seasoning mix - Italian Herb Chicken

Can of Italian diced tomatoes

Can of tomato paste

Fresh or Frozen vegetables of your choice

Spray the inside of your crock pot lightly with olive oil. Place chicken on the bottom. Slice your mushrooms in halves or quarters and sprinkle on top. In separate bowl, mix together tomatoes, paste and seasoning mix.  Pour mixture overtop the chicken and mushrooms.  No need to mix. Turn crock pot on Low (for 8 hrs) or High (for 3-4 hrs).

About halfway through cooking, I added a couple healthy handfuls of frozen vegetables to the top.  (I recently found a huge bag of Normandy mix at Wal-Mart that has a great variety of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, squash and zucchini.)  Don't mix the veggies in.  They'll cook fine on top without getting mushy from mixing.  Every once in a while, I scraped down the sides, but other than that, left it untouched the entire length of cooking.

The dinner looked nice on the plate.  Chicken was super tender, almost falling apart. The Italian seasoning gave both the chicken and veggies a nice flavor without being overpowering. Even my hubby, who doesn't really care for chicken, said the flavor was great - plus it disguised the cauliflower, a veggie that the rest of the family normally won't eat.

Italian Herb Chicken is hubby & kid approved!
I can make it again.

Family Fitness and WIAW

Yesterday was a slow start back to the routine...  Hubby went back to work after a 12-day holiday and Little Girl returned to preschool after a 3 week break.  When did Christmas break get to be so loooong?

Big Girl and I hit the gym.  She hung out in child care while I warmed up on the treadmill with a quick 2 miles (9:42 avg pace).  When my swim lane opened up, we both jumped in for a pool workout. Alternating laps seem to work well for me as I learn the sport of swimming.  I focused on my freestyle form for 2 laps and every third lap, I'd water jog down the lane, pulling Big Girl on a kickboard.  I completed 667 yds of swim and 366 yds of water jogging in 40 minutes.  At the end of the workout, the pool was empty so I let Big Girl do some jumping.  We both had a great workout and some fun quality time together.  In the locker room, she proudly told all the other ladies how she got to "workout with Mommy".  Melt my heart...

Tuesday nights, we have a tradition in our house... Commercial Workouts!  It's the one night of the week that "my show" is on... The Biggest Loser.  Seriously, it's the only show that I HAVE to watch each week.  My hubby used to work Tues nights, so I started Commercial Workouts simply as a way to keep the little ones occupied so I could watch my show.  Completely selfish reasons.  But over the past year, it's become something we really enjoy.

The first commercial has barely started, and my girls have jumped off the couch yelling, "Windmills! Situps! Pushups!"  Each commercial break, we take turns picking a fitness activity. The girls learn new moves and I get in a mini-workout.  By time the show starts again, the girls are ready to cuddle up on the couch (and be quiet).  Last night I went strictly ABS every time (with the exception of one plank challenge from the hubs).

What did you think of last night's Biggest Loser??  I applauded the "No Partners" and "No Excuses" themes for the season.  And of course, delighted to see Dolvett's return. Black is my favorite color, but I find myself cheering for RED.  The girls of course are pulling for Santa...

I had a good day with food yesterday.  I logged my intake and feelings in my Food Journal.  I photographed all my food.  Best water intake I've had in weeks.  I give myself a B+ on the day.  Here's what my food looked like...

Breakfast: Banana and coffeeAM Snack: Special K strawberry barLunch: Loaded turkey sandwich with apple & carrotsPM Snack: Coffee and chocolate (!)Dinner: Baked parmesan tilapia with veggies and salad

What I Ate Wednesday #2

This past week started off so good.  I was determined after seeing a -6lb drop on my weigh-in last Wednesday.  I made it through Thanksgiving STRONG. UNWAVERING in the face of delicious food!!

And then Friday happened.  I fell and twisted my ankle into a pretzel during a simple 2 mile race (but really it's the muscles thru my foot that hurt).  The next day my whole foot was swollen up that I could hardly even walk.  Let's just say it's been a pitiful week for me.  There is no question that I'm an emotional eater.  When I get injured and can't run, I get crabby, frustrated and weak.  I turn to food.  ugh.

I didn't track my food in the absence of exercise for 3 days... and boy, I can feel it.  I'm not even facing the scale today.  Will have to wait until next Wednesday for an update.

But I brought myself back to reality yesterday.  Here's what I ate...

BREAKFAST: Vegetable Quiche Cups

These are an awesome punch of protein in the morning!  I make a big batch at once, and then freeze.  Only 50 calories each, they are a yummy and healthy way to start the morning.


RECIPE
1 pkg 10oz chopped spinach (thawed)
 7 eggs
3/4 c. shredded cheese
1/4 c. chopped green peppers
1/4 c. chopped red peppers
4-6 drops of hot sauce
1/4 c. onion
3 slices turkey bacon (cooked and crumbled).  
Cook spinach for 2 minutes in microwave and drain excess liquid.  Mix all ingredients into a bowl.  Scoop mixture into foil baking cups, sprayed lightly first with cooking spray.  Bake 350˙ for 20 minutes.  May freeze and reheat in microwave.

LUNCH: Taco Salad

 

SNACKS: banana, apple and granola bar

DINNER: Smart Ones meal, and I added in more broccoli and chicken.

LATE NIGHT OPPS!

It really wasn't even that good, but I was sulking as I iced my foot...

. . . 

12 Days of a Fit Christmas starts tomorrow!

Check out the cool ideas and great discounts in my Holiday Shopping Guide.

WEIGHT LOSS GOAL before Myrtle Beach Half Marathon on Feb. 18   

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

What I Ate Wednesday #1

Because I'm watching every morsel that goes into my mouth (see weight goal at end of post), I thought I'd join the WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday) trend from Peas and Crayons.  Plus after losing 6 lbs this past week, I've had a lot of questions as to how...

First off, I'm tracking every piece of food that goes in my mouth on MyFitnessPal.com.  It's free and easy to use.  Friend me (RunWithJess) if you use it - I love being held accountable!  

Secondly, I joined the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge hosted by Run to the Finish. Each day that 7 servings of fruit & vegetables are consumed, one scores a point.  So I've been trying to reach that and fill my belly in the process.

Here's a smathering of photos from What I Ate this week... 

Vanilla yogurt topped with granola, bananas, strawberries, raspberries and grapes.
BREAKFAST: 260 calories

Whole wheat tortilla filled with light mayo, lean turkey, shredded cheese,
red onions, and cucumbers with spinach on top (not shown)
LUNCH: 340 calories

Parmesan encrusted tilapia, broccoli, corn, roasted potatoes and a salad
DINNER: 575 calories

Pumpkin Smoothie - slightly altered recipe from Blonde Ponytail {here}
LUNCH: 310 calories
Believe it or not, this was completely filling for a meal!

Lean Cuisine meal with added-in broccoli and corn for more vegetables.  Delish!
DINNER: 380 calories

This is my seasonal drink "treat" but only allow myself 1 soda a day.
I wish they sold this flavor all year long.  When you're watching calories,
it's a great mixer with vodka for a 0 calorie holiday drink.

WEIGHT LOSS GOAL before Myrtle Beach Half Marathon on Feb. 18  
Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter