Back on Track

It’s been almost a month since my last post! I can’t believe it!

I’ve been a little busy with my friend’s wedding

and planning my high school reunion,

which are both now over and were successes – hooray! In the time period of November 10 – December 2 there was also a race run by yours truly. It was a 5 mile turkey trot on Thanksgiving day.

Now it’s on to Christmas hustle and bustle. Before that, though, it’s time to get back on track. Last night I finally felt better after battling a disgusting cold and cough. I decided to lace up the sneaks and get moving. I did the ab exercises from Angela’s Whittle My Middle challenge. I did not get on board with this challenge right away, but I’m LOVING these moves. My abs are nice and sore this morning. Just how I like it.

I also hopped on the treadmill and did 5 minute alternating intervals of walking at 4.0 at a 12% incline (my treadmill’s max) and jogging at 6.0 at 2%. I did about 30 minutes…not wanting to over-do it since there’s still a trace of icky cough down in my lungs. It did feel GREAT to break a sweat and get moving though!

Here is how I am getting back on track with food:

Dinner: Meet Hugh (middle name Jass, last name salad). I mixed up some organic herb greens, baby spinach, a chopped carrot, baby heirloom tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, sliced almonds, a sesame flatbread and some Annie’s balsamic. YUM!

I reunited with an old friend for breakfast:

There’s nothing like it…

• tons of organic baby spinach
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 T Amazing Meal
• 1 T almond butter
• 1 T ground flax

My body is saying thank you. Then I packed my lunch for today:

Homemade lentil soup (organic pink lentils, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, diced tomatoes, organic chicken broth and water) – I made a Hugh Jass pot of this on Monday night when I felt like death. I also packed a stoneground whole wheat dinner roll and an apple. I also plan on snacking on some baby carrots and hummus in my fridge at work.

I shall throw in a CLIF Zbar for good measure as a morning snack as well.

Well that is it, ladies and gentlemen! I’m on my way back to my healthy self!

Emotionally Drained

Yesterday was another emotionally draining day.  Without going into too much detail and for privacy reasons, I will tell you that we had grief counselors available at school yesterday…for the children.  I think you can probably figure out the tragedy that our school family has been dealing with the past two days. 

Without saying much more, I came home from work yesterday, later than usual and caught up with some friends on the phone while I was supposed to be running.  I just didn’t have the physical strength to lace up my running sneaks.  After a dinner out with my mom, I crashed on the couch around 8.  Hubbers woke me up at 8:30 and I went to bed.  This morning I woke up early in the hopes of getting my run in since my afternoon and evening are jam-packed, but I couldn’t get myself out of bed.  I think my body just needed rest.  I think I’ll survive a few days without exercise.

On to my eats for yesterday:

 

Snack:

  I busted into it in the car on the way to work.  Clearly those Puffins didn’t do it for me!

Lunch: 

I had a TJ’s vanilla Greek yogurt with pumpkin flax granola, two “Fig Newmans” and an organic gala apple.

Snack/Dinner:

PM snack was TJ’s “Tempting Trailmix.”

We went out for dinner to the ale house I’ve mentioned a few times.  I had a Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, the salad (3/4 eaten) above and 1/2 of the bowl of butternut squash soup below.  I saved the other half of the soup for lunch today.  I love having lunch figured out the night before!

Wednesday:

Breakfast:

I whipped up a green monster in the hopes it will give me the energy I need today!  In the mix:

• organic baby spinach
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 T almond butter
• 1 T ground flax
• 1 T Amazing Meal
• frozen peach slices
• 1/2 frozen banana

Well here’s to a new day.  This afternoon I have to attend a service and have a doctor’s appointment at 6:00.  It’s going to be a late night!  

Love My Green!

Today was a very GREEN day.  I started the day with a green monster and broke into my Amazing Grass samples and tried a Green SuperFood Chocolate Energy Bar:

As you’ll see below, I had half for an a.m. snack and half for a p.m. snack.  This bar was awesome!  It was chewy, but hearty with a chocolatey coating that was very satisfying.  Only half of this baby kept me satiated until lunch time.  I LOVE that it’s all-natural source of energy as opposed to some other bars out there on the market.  Two-thumbs up for this one, Amazing Grass!

Hubs also wanted to get in on the taste-testing.  He asked if he could sample a bar and share his thoughts.  He tried the chocolate peanut butter protein bar. 

{picture courtesy of Amazing Grass}

He’s a lot more skeptical of products like this, so I was interested in his feedback.  When I called him on my way home from work, he was glad to tell me that he loved the bar.  He thought it tasted great! 

Now if you’re like me and hear great reviews about healthy products and you want some Amazing Grass right now (if you haven’t tried it already), today is your lucky day!  Amazing Grass is offering Fit Healthy Fun readers a 15% discount on their products.  Just type in HEALTHY09 at checkout to receive your 15% discount!  I can’t wait to share more reviews with you.  Also, keep your eyes peeled, because you just might be able to win some grass of your very own!

Today was an off/cross-training day from my running schedule.  Feeling inspired by watching the Biggest Loser last night (how good was it??), I popped in No More Trouble Zones and did the first 5 circuits. 

Breakfast:

Green monster:

In the mix:

• organic baby spinach
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 T organic peanut butter
• 1 T ground flax
• 1 T Amazing Meal

Snack/Lunch:

    I had half of a Chocolate Superfood bar

My mini-ninis (that’s my new name for them) that I made last night.  Ciabatta, fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper

Grapes from my classroom fridge stash

Snack/Dinner:

Snack was the other half of my bar.

Dinner was sushi

Salad and miso soup

vegetarian gyoza (x4)

shrimp tempura roll…delicious!

 

Also, “Healthy” related, I went for my annual body check today at the dermatologist.  Do you get an annual check?  If not, you should.  I schedule mine for September since summer is over and I’m not in the sun anymore.  I got a clean bill of health :)  I’m diligent about doing this, so is Hubs.  He’s had several basal cell carcinomas removed, so we’re super careful!

My derm also recommended a new face wash. 

 

For 40 beans per bottle, this stuff better get my already good skin looking like a work of art by Michelangelo or something!  I’ll keep you posted!