Monday Planning for the week...

Happy Labor everyone! Hope you had a great weekend and was able to enjoy the extra day off! We spend the day low key. A little shopping, long naps and a very easy home cooked meal. This weekend we have lots planned and I know if it doesn't get written down, it doesn't get done.

Now, onto the good stuff:

Breakfasts: Greek Yogurt with seed mix, a silver dollar fig & greek yogurt pancake, and decaf coffee
Snacks:  homemade protein bars and low cal chocolate/vanilla frap protein shakes

Lunches:

•  Monday:  Snacked...
• Tuesday:  Hard boiled egg, artichoke, sun dried tomato with avocado and a sandwich thin and a peach
• Wednesday: Veggie burger with Tikka Masala sauce and veggies with a pear for dessert
• Thursday: grilled tomato, avocado, and zucchini
• Friday: play-date with kiddos and pizza!  :)
• Saturday:  eat out - Mexican perhaps?
• Sunday:  Free Birds!!!! 

Dinners: 

•  Monday: Garlic spaghetti & stuffed mozzarella sausage with garlic bread
• Tuesday:  Mahi Mahi Tacos with broc slaw and black beans
• Wednesday:  Chicken Satay with brown rice and cauliflower rice and grilled zucchini  (mixed together)
• Thursday: Tacos with homemade guacamole!
• Friday:  Dinner out
• Saturday:  Pulled Pork with baked sweet potatoes
• Sunday:  left overs

Exercise:

•  Monday: Run 3 Miles
• Tuesday: Crossfit in the morning!  EEK!!!!! walk 2/4 miles
• Wednesday: Run 5 miles
• Thursday: Crossfit at night! Run 3 miles
• Friday: Walk 2 miles,
• Saturday: Run 7 miles to Barre Control class (changing things up and trying it out)
• Sunday:  My first Duathlon!!!  YAY!!!!

 *By writing it all out, it's really helping me see where my weaknesses are, not as far as what bad stuff I'm eating but what I'm missing in my nutrition. 


This week you'll see lots of recipes pop up.  I'm finally getting around to writing them down to share with y'all!  :)  Enjoy! 

A new month a new chance to try...

HELLLLLOOOO SEPTEMBER! Did august just sail by everyone? I feel like so much needed to get done and need two more weeks.  I hope this month I can be more on top of it and get in gear. So goals this month:   - run (or walk) 101 miles -if I keep on track I'll be able to do this   - take 7 crossfit classes (I took one this week and wanted my arms to fall off, so much pain)   - 20 home cooked dinners   - cycle 50 miles (Sunday's are now my cycling day)   - take 6  boxing classes   - revive the garden   - drop one size (5 or so lbs I'm guessing? I just want to get closer to being able to wear my old clothes before the first pregnancy)    - blog at least 3/4 times a week, weekly, two recipes, and random post    - do one craft project (need to make kupcake 2.0 a growth chart)   - get a massage and a facial   - take one mini weekend trip (this will be for a wedding at the end of the month) - make family shoot appt I know some of these seems lofty but if I really stick with my schedule I can do this. Guess we'll see! Time to go run (and walk some) 8 miles!

August weekly roundup #2

Well, I did it. I found another half and 10k to add to my list of fall runs.  I'm so happy I have new knee braces because boy am I going to need them!  Today starts the official first day to my half marathon 10 week training program. I'm excited and nervous that it's starts off fast and keeps going.  I hope to finish it in 2:45.  I guess we'll see in 10 weeks how I do! Let's get to the planning of the week:

Breakfast is the same this week:

• 1 greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons hemp/chia seed mix, 1 lactation "cookie".  
•  Mid morning snack Banana (if hungry).

Lunches:

• Monday:  Spinach and Goat Cheese Quesadilla with carrots and protein shake and champagne grapes (protein shake & peach for afternoon snack)
• Tuesday:  Lunch out
• Wednesday:  Sweet/Sour Meatballs leftovers and protein shake and champagne grapes (protein shake & peach for afternoon snack)
• Thursday:  Lunch out
• Friday: who knows...
• Saturday:  Picnic (subway?) at the beach
• Sunday:  Lunch out

Dinners:

• Monday:  Spaghetti
• Tuesday:  Sweet/sour Meatballs with "rice" pilaf
• Wednesday:  COUNTY FAIR!!!  Bring on the corn on the cob and mini doughnuts!!
• Thursday: Chicken Sausage and brussel sprouts
• Friday: Tacos
• Saturday: Zuchinni boats
• Sunday:  Freebirds (YUM!!!)

Training:
    (running schedule below)

• Monday:  run + 20 min of interval crossfit exercises
• Tuesday:  yoga stretch
• Wednesday: run
• Thursday: run + step class
• Friday: 30 day shred video
• Saturday: run + boxing
• Sunday: walk

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total
1	3	Rest	3	3	Rest	4	Rest	13

August ...already?

Well, this year just went from zero to 60 in 1.2 seconds.  I have no clue where it went and the funny thing is I have a perfect little kupcake to see a timeline grow.  Easier when they are little to see that.  In August lots of big big changes headed my way and while I'm excited about, I'm also nervous about but that's for another day to chat about. 

  Let's talk about personal goals.  I'm really needing to focus on working out and running to get rid of the fall season.  I have

• Duathlon Sept 12
• RAD Run 10k Oct 6
• Conejo Valley Half Marathon Oct 14
• Halloween Mud Run Oct 28
• Santa Barbara Half Marathon Nov 10
• Turkey Trot (Thanksgiving)
• Santa Run (in search of one)

 For August goals, I'm focusing on numbers.

• Miles ran/walk:  100 (big number...eek)
• Miles on Bike: 50
• Classes taken: 8
• 30 day shred dvd: 15
• Weight loss: 6 lbs
• Meals any cooked at home: 30

One of the other goals is to push forward with eating clean and unprocessed foods.  I've done a good job to do so but I know I can do more and am excited to clean the cupboards and start fresh!

Will have to do updates on how this whole goes...wish me luck!

July weekly post 4

So it's July 30 and well, the month is almost up.  I know I didn't hit my goal but that's fine by me.  I know I'm on a good path and I think doing weekly posts are helping me be more accountable.  I'm finally feeling better running.  I started with a new training facility and it is nuts.  They believe this photo's motto and boy am I sore after their work outs.  I don't think I've ever sweat so much in a class before like I do here.  They mean business!  Let's get to the good stuff shall we?

Lunch:

• Monday: Chinese chicken salad (super healthy and super good), protein shake, peach (plum for snack and other half of protein shake)
• Tuesday: Lunch with the hubby (INDIAN!!!!!)
• Wednesday: apple/spinach/goat cheese quesadilla, hard boiled egg, protein shake, peach (plum for snack and other half of protein shake)
• Thursday: left overs (stuffed shells), hard boiled egg, protein shake, peach (plum for snack and other half of protein shake)
• Friday: lunch out?
• Saturday: lunch out?
• Sunday:   Lunch with family (kupcake 2.0 baptism)

Dinner:

• Monday:  Stuffed shells with a spinach/zucchini/tomato sauce YUM!, protein shake
• Tuesday: Subway night 
• Wednesday:  Malibu chicken with sauteed squash and mushrooms
• Thursday:  Pulled Pork sandwiches with kale chips and carrot fries
• Friday:   Dinner out(family in town)
• Saturday: Pizza Night with family
• Sunday:  dunno...

Work out routine:

• Monday: Run 4 miles + 30 day shred level 2
• Tuesday:  RPM class
• Wednesday:  4 miles + 30 day shred level 2
• Thursday: swimming + 30 day shred level 2
• Friday:  boxing + 30 day shred level 2
• Saturday:  boxing + Zumba
• Sunday:  5 miles + 30 day shred level 2

 Yup, that's the week in a nut shell.  I'm really trying to find more time to work out at night more for myself after the girls go to bed.  It's been the one thing keeping me sane lately.  Will I do an august goal?  Yes.  Only way to keep myself motivated! 

July weekly post 3

So I skipped a week.  I was thrown off by stuff that was going on with home/work/life.  Everyone has those days.  Instead of rehashing last week (was good and even RAN!!!!) I want to think forward and talk about this coming week.  I think I need to stay as positive as ever just so I can make sure I'm good.  I've been doing good but really want to kick it up a notch and end this month on a positive note.


Lunches:

•  Mon-Thurs:  (same meal since I made a big amount of spread) garbanzo bean/avocado spread with sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes on sandwich thins, protein shake, hard boiled egg, peach.  (snack: no sugar cookies -they are really good- and a plum) 

 Dinners:

• Monday: grilled pizzas... pepperoni on one, canadian bacon and pineapple
• Tuesday: Stuffed shells with a ground turkey and zucchini filling
• Wednesday: Sun Dried tomato chicken sausage with sauteed brussel sprouts
• Thursday:  Turkey Tacos
• Friday:   Grilled chicken satay (YUM!) with asian slaw
• Saturday: Birthday party
• Sunday: up in the air

Working out:

• Monday: 5 mile run (i know, i'm kinda shaking in my boots about this today)
  
• Tuesday: 30 day shred level 2
  
• Wednesday: 3 mile run / 30 day shred level 2
  
• Thursday: hike after work / 30 day shred level 2 
• Friday:   Boxing class / 30 day shred level 2
• Saturday: Zumba / 30 day shred level 2
• Sunday:  Bike ride / boot camp (maybe if i can muster up the courage)

So YES, i started running again.  It felt so refreshing to get outside after a massive stressful week.  I ran hard and fast (okay, fast for me that is).  My foot is still healing and still wearing my insoles (aka, horse shoe).  I really want to get back up to running about 20+ miles a week and know I have to take my time doing that but also doing other things to keep me entertained.  I'm super excited for Zumba since it's been FOREVER since I did it last.  You'll find me in the back of the class tripping over my feet!

July weekly post 2

  Okay okay, I haven't done daily posts but this week I will.  Pinky swear!  As a recap, I have to say although there were a few snafu's like In-n-Out (grilled cheese please!) and a piece of fudge I was overall good.  I made healthy choices and stayed on track with working out!  Like so on track I'm contemplating ordering Insanity work out routines to add to my day.  I think also having my niece stay with us a while has really helped me stay on track.  I want to promote healthy eating and munching on something at 9pm really doesn't do it. 

  So results wise, I lost another 2.6 lbs.  So close to pre-pregnancy weight.  I know I have to lose another 10 lbs though to fit back into most of my clothes.  Things got a little --uhh-- moved around so while I might be close to that weight, body isn't.  On the foot note, I finally got to see a doctor.  I'm PRAYING the insert he glued onto my foot (hello horseshoe!) will help.  I hope to start running by August again.  In the meantime I'm going to find an alternative. 

Let's look to see what's on the lists for this week shall we?

Lunch menu:

• Monday: leftovers (sweet/sour turkey meatballs with cauliflower rice and quinoa)
• Tuesday: garlic spinach/apple/goat cheese spread on sandwich thins with carrots, string cheese
• Wednesday:  garlic spinach/apple/goat cheese spread on sandwich thins with carrots, string cheese (it was that good i need more)
• Thursday:  artichoke/turkey sandwich with sun dried tomatoes and berry protein smoothie
• Friday:  PB & J sandwich and berry protein smoothie
• Saturday: out Stonefire Grill anyone?
• Sunday:  out

Dinner Menu:

• Monday: pasta casserole with cherry tomato marinera & turkey meat
• Tuesday:  creamy chicken taquitos
• Wednesday: pork chops
• Thursday:  chinese chicken salad
• Friday:  hawaiian nachos
• Saturday: eat out?
• Sunday: eat out?

Workout schedule:

• Monday: 30 day shred/8 minute abs
• Tuesday: 30 day shred/8 minute abs, Personal Training session for assessment (groupon!)
• Wednesday:  30 day shred/8 minute abs, walk
• Thursday: 30 day shred/8 minute abs: Boxing class, workout class (6am...EEK!)
• Friday: 30 day shred/8 minute abs
• Saturday: 30 day shred/8 minute abs,  Zumba
• Sunday: 30 day shred/8 minute abs, 10 mile bike ride (if my new bike shoes come in time)

July daily recap 1

• Exercise:  
• Happy to report I actually did the 30 day shred dvd! Wasn't so bad until I started to get to things that made me push off with my foot (nursing a foot injury -yay me...not). 
• I also did my 1 minute abs.  Basically I listen to 1 song (it's 4.27 minutes long) and do abs and switch exercises within the song.  I listened to Florence and the Machine: Shake it out.  It's kinda my anthem for the month. 
• Food wise:
•  I followed what I said I would.  Pretty proud I didn't go overboard on the pizza.  The smoothie I made consisted of 1 cup of spinach, 1/2 blueberries, 1/2 strawberries, 1 peach, water and ice.  it was sooo good. 
•  How do I feel:
• Overall, I felt good.  I'm really happy I finally went to the doctor.  Just a piece of mind to know I didn't break a joint or tear a ligament in my foot.  I have this foam splint on the bottom of my foot now to see if it helps.  I'm staying optimistic that it'll heal! 

29 days to go! 

July 12 weekly post 1

Lunch menu:

• Monday:  Indian food (lunch date with the hubby)
• Tuesday:  Spinach, Goat Cheese & apple quesadilla, berry salad
• Wednesday:  Sandwich and fruit salad
• Thursday:  ~~out of the house meal~~
• Friday:  ~~out of the house meal~~
• Saturday:  ~~out of the house meal~~
• Sunday:  ~~out of the house meal~~

Dinner Menu:

• Monday:  Costco slice of pizza (hubby bought it) and green monster smoothie
• Tuesday:  Pork Chops with Sweet potatoes and pears
• Wednesday:  Turkey Hot Dogs & Baked Beans
• Thursday:  ~~out of the house meal~~
• Friday:  Sweet & Sour meatballs & cauliflower rice
• Saturday:   Summer veggies spaghetti
• Sunday:    Grilled Chicken and balsamic veggies

Snacks:

• Greek Yogurt
• berry salad (just a mix of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry)
• string cheese
• peach/nectarine
• turkey jerky
• kind bar
• celery with peanut butter
• handful of almonds
• dried fruit (homemade)

Workout schedule:

• Monday: 30 day shred
• Tuesday:  30 day shred + 1 song abs
• Wednesday: 30 day shred + 1 song abs
• Thursday: 30 day shred, boxing class 
• Friday: 30 day shred + 1 song abs
• Saturday 30 day shred + 1 song abs
• Sunday 30 day shred, + 1 song abs

Happy July everyone!

This is what I'm aiming to do this month.  I know I haven't blogged much but here I am.  I am going to chronicle this month on working out, eating (hopefully) healthy and shredded those last few lbs from pregnancy.  I don't want this to sound like a diet thing but more like I really need to stop eating after 9pm and need to get more active.  Also, I have lots of healthy yummy recipes to share with y'all.

Expect Daily updates on how it goes and blog posts with recipes and weekly posts on menu planning and workout schedules. One thing I'm going to try to do is do Jillian Micheal's 30day shred.  I've owned it for awhile but golly gee, I feel rather foolish I never did 1 month of it.  I can do it, just need to actually prove it to myself!  It's one month right?

p.s. I know it's July 2.

The perfect Saturday...

Surprise surprise, I'm updating for the third time this week.  This time I'm laying out on the beach under an umbrella watching the hubby play with kupcake 1.0 near the water while kupcake 2.0 sleeps.   Today has been one of those days that falls into the win category.  We started the day off with a five mile walk to get coffee and a bagel, cleaned up the side patio for a play/lounge area, then off to Malibu for lunch and some sun.  We'll finish the day off with a trip to Sprouts and Trader's and some yummy tacos and a Cervesa.   I'm sure there are tons of chores waiting for me to do and lots of work too but like Ferris said, "life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it." Word.

coconut oil makes all your dreams come true...

okay, maybe I embellished it a bit but seriously, this stuff is all that and a bag of chips. 

A few months ago I was reading through google reader and saw someone was cooking with it.  Then it popped up again to relieve diaper rash (my daughter looks at an orange and breaks out... poor girl, she could eat a whole tree's worth if we let her).  Then read something about fixing cradle cap on newborns (dry scalp on babies if you didn't know what that was).  So one Sunday while we were doing our usual grocery haul at Trader Joe's I saw it and picked up a can.  At first I thought it was weird since it's hard but figured might as well give it a whirl. Worst case I can use it to massage little toes. 

  Coconut oil:

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.

 Source

  First think I did was cook with it.  The hubby hates coconut.  HATES.  So what did a good wife do? Just not tell him I used it.  Low and behold he raved about dinner that night, mentioning something about multiple layers of flavor and how good it was (while licking the pan clean...). I kept cooking with it and every meal since he just adores more then before.  Score points for Coconut oil for cooking purposes.

  Next I used it on the burn I got while cooking, like magic the pain went away.  I wonder if this was in that little tin Katniss got (2 points for you if you got it, if you didn't, you must be the only person on the planet that didnt' read the books).  Used the stuff on my daughters and again, magic!  Bye bye citric acid burn/rash. 

  If you are wondering about it, get it.  Not because Dr. Oz did a whole show on it but because you like to cook or want a new massage oil. 

The art of typing with one hand...

That's me, one hand holding kupcake 2.0, the other finally getting around to updating the blog. Having two is both easier and harder than I thought. The harder comes up when I need motivation to go running or workout after they go to bed. Sadly, I didn't do much working out. That half marathon I said I'd do? Well, it's looks like I might be in a lot of pain if I don't start running tomorrow. I just want to finish it without crying now. No breaking personal records here. I need to really use my Bikram yoga pass I have too. I got it as a groupon and hate wasting those things. Last week I let my 9cent smoothies go to waste I was mad at myself the next say when I realized I missed the expiration date. I know, I should have just taken care of it way before but HELLO, I have 2 kids under two. I can't even remember how old I am. (true fact: I had to ask the hubby how old I am and was a little shocked and didn't believe him at first.). Another fun thing going on here t the LMP household is that I'm back on weight watchers because the simple fact is I need a planning tool to keep me regimented on how many spoonfuls of sun butter I can have. I'm a little worried what tomorrow's scale will say. Scared enough to not even do a mid week weigh in. I know I know, I'll lose it all in time, but seriously, I'm done waiting for time when that scale says the same number for 4 weeks straight. In any case, I doubt I'll see a good number since I ate like rubbish while I was on vacation (it was an overnight trip but in my world I felt like I was gone forever!). Fingers crossed right? Oh and the best news, I crested the most amazing new recipe: the gardenilla 1 apple (diced) 2 cloves of garlic (I loooove garlic, you can always add less) 1 teaspoon of goat cheese 2 cups of spinach 2 whole wheat tortillas A little coconut oil for the pan Sautée the garlic, apple and spinach up until the the spinach is wilted and the garlic is golden. Put it in a bowl and mix the goat cheese with it. Then smother it on the tortilla and place it back in the pan, add the other tortilla on top and toss it after a few minutes until the tortilla looks crunchy. Place it on a rack to cool off and get crunchier and slice it up to serve. Great way to get your veggies in and eat something that is ohhh sooo good! Ok, off to bed, until next time. Hoe you enjoyed today's ramblings!

Making myself accountable

So there I am, sitting on the floor with a pair of very groovy jeans with the realization if I ever want to fit into them again I need to really start paying attention to what I eat. It isn't like I chocolate all day and never get off the couch, it's quite the opposite in fact but when your nursing and running around a toddler, you forget to eat. So here I am, back to tracking my food intake to make sure I do eat reasonably again and even track my exercise. Something that I'm happy to say I'm finally getting beck out there. Last week I walked 14 miles and did Bikram yoga! Now, let's plan for this week, shall we?!

Sunday: dinner with the birth families
Monday: balsamic chicken and sautéed squash
Tuesday: BBQed pizza (mushroom) and salad (reminder to go walk to get salad)
Wednesday: taco salad
Thursday: tamales
Friday: food truck night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday: pork roast with veggies (YUM!!!!)

Now to plan my exercise routine:

Sunday: running 3 miles
Monday: walk 4 miles and Bikram yoga
Tuedaay: walk 5 miles and weight lift
Wednesday: walk 3 miles and Bikram
Thursday: rest (actually moving stuff)
Friday: walk 4 miles and weight lift
Saturday: rest (big event and then SPA day with my momma)

Phew, I'm going to be beat! But all in all, I think this is pretty easy to accomplish, if I can remember it (hence me writing it all down).

I'm excited for the week, lots to look forward to like movie with my birth mommas, new paint and carpet in our guest room, great cloth diaper change event I'm co-hosting, and lots of spa treatments! I can't wait to tell you hoe real or unreal these weekly goals will be. I'm crazy busy with business appts on top of it all but I know by the weekend I'll be done with the majority of it all.

Just another manic monday...

So another post done via iPad. Kinda weird to post from here but hey, when I finally sit at the computer these days I'm working and don't get to take time to blog. Blogging comes at the wee hours of the day.

This past week had some great ups and downs. I went on walks with the my little girls (high) which resulted in some pain (down). We got to see my mom who is doing a million times better (yay for road to recovery) and my grandma and aunt. They got to hold kupcake 2.0 which made my month! We finally stocked up on groceries so now I really have to start cooking again. I'm relishing the last few days on the month before I start working out (thankful it's lap yea, one extra day to prolong it).

Now onto things I'm excited about this week:

- cool weather (it's been spring/summer here, somehow I missed the memo that there wasn't going to be a winter)
- making it a priority to take the girls on 4 walks this week. Going to make them easier walks since I don't want to hurt myself more.
- dinners for the week:
- spaghetti, pot stickers, BBQ chicken, meatless meat tacos, fish
- playdateS with our birth group. Excited to see the little boys and their parents
- gymnastics class and gymboree for kupcake 1.0. She loves it!
- dinner with old room mate and his family. Excited to meet his daughter!
- finally working out again!

I'm sure there's more but I can't remember. Is it just me or did this month go by uber fast?

Miss me?

Well, I'm back and ready to start blogging again. Lots of happened since I last checked in and now ready to start writing more. The biggest thing is the birth of our second daughter, cupcake 2.0. She was born a few weeks ago and perfect, just like her sister. Her birth was absolutely perfect and finally got my med free natural birth I wanted. So proud to say I did it! She's laying in front of me, being a patient little girl.

Now I find myself,cgi ally feeling like I can workout again, something that I couldn't do since I had some complications with the pregnancy. I'm excited to get myself back in fighting shape. I'm excited to start cooking healthy again. I'm excited to start running and gardening and just be me. I'm just excited for this year.

Time to make my yearly list of things to do before 2013:
1. Run 3+ half marathons
2. Do one triathlon
3. Travel somewhere new
4. Get garden up and going
5. Finish wall in garden
6. Finish converting side patio into play area (clean up random stuff)
7. Make a big dent in car loan
8. Lose baby weight plus a little extra.
9. Fit into cruise shorts
10. Go two weeks without sugary desserts
11. Blog at least 1x a week till summer
12. Sign up for 5 races
13. Finish one race with a 11 minute mile (I'm a turtle, not the hare)
14. read hunger games finally before the movie
15. Run/walk 100 miles in one month
16. Get bike going
17. Do MS ride in my area
18. Make one new meal a week
19. eBay old handbags I will never use again
20. Read peaceful warrior again
21. Enjoy life (currently doing)

Yup, that's about it. It's basically centered around gardening and getting back in shape and get healthy. I know there are a lot of things I need to change so here I am admitting I need to change things. I'll post weekly updates on how the fitness things go.

One could say these are resolutions but I don't believe in that. I think you can change your life whenever you want to. What are you doing to better your life?