Random Thoughts: 3/18/13

1. Weird and Wild Weather- Um, it's March, and we got 3 inches of slushy snow yesterday. What's up with that? Then, I'm jolted out of bed at 7:30 this morning by a rounding slap of thunder on the house. Those 3 inches of snow? Almost completely gone by now, obviously melted by the warmer temperatures that ushered in the thunderstorms. Last year at this time, I was sipping margaritas on the porch in capri pants, sunning myself on a +70 degree day. The hubby reminds me the bugs won't be as bad this summer with all the freezing weather. I'm pacified by this, because there isn't anything I hate more than insects. Not. A. Thing.

2. The NCAA tournament- Yay, it's bracket time! One of my most favorites times of the year, save for the beginning of football season and the first days of summer. The hubby is livid that Kentucky didn't make the tournament. It was a really bad, ugly season for UK, though. It was hard to watch them play, they looked so different from last year's smooth, professional play. Better luck next year, men. At least we still have Oregon to cheer for. Go Ducks!

3. Gizmo- Gizmo continues to make himself more at home everyday. I think he's finally beginning to feel like this is his house. He used to follow the hubby and I everywhere around the house, begging to be carried around. He's finally started exploring rooms on his own, and galloping from room to room. I love the sound of tiny feet pounding the floor. He's also started taking toys in the other rooms, and I can hear him growling at the squirrel or the hedgehog as he attacks them. He even sleeps more securely, belly up most of the time. Then, there's this howling thing he does when the hubby gets home from work, it never fails to make me laugh. Man, I love those pups.

4. McDonald's Shamrock Shakes- Yesterday was St. Paddy's Day! The hubby and I celebrated on Saturday night, when we went out for a family friend's birthday. We had a little too much fun, the kind of fun twenty-somethings are supposed to have. Not thirty-somethings. Anyhoo, the point is yesterday I saw this article on McDonald's Shamrock Shakes. Oh, ick! If you need another reason to not eat at McDonald's, read that article. Did you know there are 820 calories in that one milkshake? That's more than half of my daily calories. It's also made with 54 ingredients, the majority of which are preservatives and obscure additives. Gross.

5. The Movie "2012"- Ok, ok, I know this movie came out a couple of years ago. I just happened to catch some snippets of the movie whilst I was watching TV yesterday. What I saw was freakin' ridiculous. I'm 100% sure, after watching 5 minutes of the movie, that this film didn't have a single scientist consulting on the plot. I watched the scene where, apparently, California is sliding into the ocean. The Earth's crust is crumbling, and yet, John Cusak's plane is able to take off in the middle of this? Then, to add insult to injury, this plane is flying close to the ground, underneath crumbling buildings, and close to homes being sucked into the ground. I'm by no means a physicist, but I do understand simple concepts like gravity. And the fact that the huge amount force needed for something to be sucked into the Earth, is probably going to suck that plane up too. Needless to say, I turned the channel in disgust after a few minutes. #MovieFail.

6. Another Haircut! I'm really into short hair right now. It seems like everyone has long hair right now, and it's fun to do something different. I chopped off 7 inches in January, and last week, I chopped off another inch and a half. Even though I don't look impressed in this selfie, I'm loving the hair cut. I chose this picture because it makes me laugh. You have to be able to laugh at yourself, right?

Well, it's time to get off my duff now, lots to do today! I've got a workout on the books, some general house cleaning, baking Raspberry Banana Oat Muffins and Salted Caramel Cookies for my family (who start arriving tomorrow!!!), all kinds of laundry, and making dinner for the hubby. Oh my!

Happy Monday everyone!

More Motivation

Just in case anyone else is experiencing an end-of-winter slump, here's some more motivation and inspiration for/to getting healthy!

Source: Shrinking Jeans

Source: Back on Pointe

Source: Back on Pointe

Source: Back on Pointe

Source: CelebrityDB

Healthy recipes to try:

Source: Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Source: Biggest Loser Recipes

Source: The Garden Grazer

Source: Fashion Mommy in Training

There's always room for a healthier dessert!

Source: Biggest Loser Recipes

Source: Southern In-Law

Source: Heaven to 350

Workout Playlist #8

Ah, again, it's mid-February. I seem to be suffering from the wintertime lackluster-ly's. It's too far from swimsuit season to see the finish line, and it's that time of year when motivation is fading. Fast.

But this girl must forge on. I will not give up. Maybe it's because I'm a year older (yes, I realize that's silly), but my body seems to be responding slower than I'm used to with getting in shape. I do realize it's a slow process, so I must give it time and move my arse. Easier said than done.

As always, music is my go-to motivator, so I've been feverishly creating playlists. Maybe one of them will light the spark again. Anywho, this is a great playlist for moving fast during your cardio. I'm not tired of Phillip Phillips' "Home" or Fun's "Some Nights" yet. I also threw in some older favorites as well as Eric Church simply because, well, I love him. Eye candy. Yum.

Keeping it movin' till next time :)

2/8/13: A Day In The Life

Time: 10:02 am

Weather outside: 39 degrees and cloudy. We are not getting a blizzard like the rest of the East Coast though, so I am thankful.

On my desk: A new issue of Self Magazine, Cooking Light's Everyday Baking cookbook, and a rough draft menu plan for next week, complete with a mass of cross-outs and numbers scritch-scratched all over it.

On my nightstand: My iPhone. I like to catch up on my blog reading before I go to bed. It helps me fall asleep. Hmm. It doesn't sound like much a compliment that reading everyone else's blogs put me to sleep. 

On my DVR: The American's, Justified (yum!), The Soup, Rachael and Guy's Celebrity Cook-Off (go Hines!), and... Supermassive Black Holes. Umm, yeah. That's not mine. And that's astronomy related, get your minds out of the gutter peeps! :)

In my ears: Live with Kelly and Michael, and the wind howling outside.

In my garden: Nothing yet. Please plant the basil, cilantro, and parsley, hubby. Mmm k?

In the oven: I haven't decided. I'm seriously considering making these Snicker's Brownie Bites though.

In my tummy: Kashi's Go Lean Cinnamon Crisp cereal with banana slices and almond milk. My favorite breakfast.

In my future: Working out. Not looking forward to that today. And maybe baking. Looking forward to that!

On tap for dinner: Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale, and a French baguette.

Latest obsession: Raspberry Banana Oat Muffins, and Middle Sister's Red Table Wine.

On my mind: Dreading working out. How much longer it takes to clean a 1800-square foot house vs. a 600-square foot house. How annoying it is that Kroger's ad for next week is not out yet. Where am I going to find a rustic wooden planter box to put in my living room? Needless to say, there's a lot on my mind :)

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Product Review: Clairol Shine Happy Hair Glaze and More

It's been a busy week! I'm still attempting to get in shape, and I've been working hard this week. Long workouts that have been leaving me exhausted, and with really no motivation to blog. I've been in the kitchen a lot, but I haven't quite figured out the light in this new house. This leaves me frustrated. My big-girl camera also leaves me frustrated. Photography is hard, people! I'm making muffins today though, so I will be taking another stab at food photography. Hopefully, all these bad pictures will make me a better person :)

In the meantime, I've got a couple of new product reviews:

1. Clairol Shine Happy Hair Glaze-

I love me a good hair glaze. I haven't really tried one since John Frieda's years ago when it first came out. I'm not even sure they make that product anymore, although they should because I always got tons of compliments when I used it. This product also fetches some compliments. Let me be clear, this is not hair dye. It's a clear rinse. It will not add color to your hair. It's super easy- you simply apply it to wet hair, leave it on for 10 minutes, and wash out. The kit also comes with 5 weeks of conditioning treatments to use once a week. The glaze has a nice, fresh scent to it, which I love. After rinsing the glaze out and applying the conditioner, my hair felt so soft (big plus for me!) My hair still felt very soft after blowdrying my hair, and the product definitely brightened up my color. My hair looked like it had just been colored, minus the grow out at the roots :) I picked this up super-cheap on one of my couponing excursions, so in my opinion for the price, I would pick this up again. I've got another box in my stockpile, and I will be pulling it out in another couple of weeks. The verdict? Good price, adds shine, brightens color. I would buy this again.

2. Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder

I was pleasantly surprised by this product. I love and use Revlon's ColorStay Foundation, so I'm not sure why I was so surprised by this product. I know a lot of people set their foundation with loose powder (most probably), but I've yet to find a drugstore loose powder that provides me the coverage I like. For the last couple of month's I've been setting my foundation with a Shiseido pressed powder that my friend gave me. I was not entirely satisfied with the Shiseido powder as for one, it looked cakey. Number two, the coverage didn't last long at all. I felt like I was constantly touching up. I finally ran out of that product, and moved on to the ColorStay. I'm very satisfied with this product. It provides excellent coverage, which for me in the winter, has to be full. I've also been dealing with some breakouts lately, so the coverage is much needed right now. I also find myself touching up a lot less than I had been with the Shiseido, and not having to touchup as soon. I really have only been doing one touchup a day with the Colorstay, and that I love. The verdict? If you are a full-coverage kind of girl, this is a great powder for the price. I'm glad I bought a couple of these, so I've got some backups. I'll be buying this again.

3. Pantene RootLifter Hair Gel-

I'm forever on the quest for the perfect volumizer. This product falls a little flat in the face of the competition. Pantene even makes better products than this one. I've been using this one the same as all the other volumizers, spritzing the roots before blowdrying. I'm not getting nearly the volume I usually get. I'm also finding my roots greasier the next day than usual. I haven't changed any of my other hair products, so I'm pinning that problem on this product. I prefer Pantene's Volumizing Hair Spray to this product. I've got so many other voumizers in my stockpile, I might not even finish the bottle on this one. For me, that's when you know it really doesn't work! The verdict? Ditch. I won't be buying this again.

Get Mad! Playlist

Gizmo gets mad!

All right, so it's mid to late January, and it's freezing and dreary outside. The high was 28 degrees today. I'm having a tough time remembering why I need to be working out. Because, of course, eventually it will be June and swimsuit season. Bikini bodies are earned in the winter. A little motivating quote gleaned from, where else? Pinterest :)

I was having an especially hard time motivating myself this morning. I was moving from playlist to playlist, just not inspired by anything I was listening to. The bouncy pop music wasn't cuttin' it. I wanted to quit.

I should have been more naturally motivated. The hubby and I enjoyed his Sunday night off from work with a bottle of wine. It was definitely a cheat day on calories. I woke up Monday morning, feeling sorry for myself that I let myself indulge. I shouldn't have, but I just had to step on the scale. I was prepared for the worst, but when I finally peeked down at the number, I was down 3 lbs! I was shocked. And happy! I was excited to keep it rolling. Until it actually came time to clamber on the ol' elliptical. Pinterest on the couch sounded so much better.

After numerous song skips and some under the breath cursing, I came to "This Means War" by Nickelback. I was pumped! I felt like I'd finally got my legs out of quicksand. 30 minutes flew by. Whilst taking a my water break, I pounded out a quick playlist of my fave angry, kick-some-ass type songs.

If you are in the midst of a late January slump, trying mixing up your playlist! Another trick I like to do is listening to a playlist I haven't listened to in a while (it's like new music!), or even playing all songs by a favorite artist. I've got 55 Nickelback songs on my iPod, so I regularly just play Nickelback songs for my workouts.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Getting In Shape- Week 2

It's Week 2 of getting fit again!

I'm still on track with my New Year's resolutions. My goal last week was to work out 4 days, for 30 minutes, and I did just that. I took Sunday off from working out, and probably drank too much wine in the process, but what are you going to do? Monday I got back on track. The goal this week is to work out for at least 4 days, maybe 5, doing 30 minutes of cardio, along with ab work. I pushed it really hard on Monday and Tuesday, and I'm feeling really, really sore today. I decided to make today a recovery day, and am therefore trying to keep my calories low.

Another goal I want to accomplish this year is drinking more water. As a person who prefers wine to water very much, it's hard for me to make myself drink water. I whipped up a nice little detox drink, Lemon Lime Green Tea, to help me drink more of that H2O:

It's super yummy, and very low cal. Green tea and lemon are proven to be beneficial to speeding up the metabolism. Just what I need right now :) It was easy to make, and I made a big batch to store in the fridge. All you need is water, green tea bags, a couple of fresh lemons and limes, a sweetener of choice, and ice. Having it already made is key for me, because I always have the excuse that I don't feel like making it. To make it, I brought 32 oz of water to boil on the stove. I then removed it from the heat, and put 4 green tea bags in the pot. While I was letting the tea steep, I added the juice from 2 lemons and 2 limes to the pan, as well as 4 packets of Sweet-N-Low. I let the tea cool on the stove, and then poured into an ice-filled pitcher with sliced lemons and limes. Voila! A ready-made water and green tea vehicle, right in my fridge.

I was getting a little bored with my playlists, which is never good for my motivation. Can you see where this is going? Yep, new playlist.

Oh yes, new music always put pep in my step!

I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy week :)

21 Days

Photo courtesy of http://photo.esolar.com

I must confess, I'm one of those people who loves making New Year's resolutions. I love the idea of making a fresh start and having a clean slate. January 1st is one of those days when I feel like I can do anything, while December 31st feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I know many people hate making New Year's resolutions because they never keep them. I'm pretty good at keeping up my resolutions for a while. But you know what? "A while" is worth it. They say it only takes 21 days to make a habit. Well, bring on 21 days! Here's what I'm looking to accomplish in 2013:

1. Get Back In Shape- 

2012 was a tough year. The hubby and I didn't have our own home for 6 months. Whilst this is no excuse to have fallen off the wagon as bad as I did, it happened. I was doing fabulously until October, working out 4-5 days a week. Then I left to go to Oregon for a month, and I went into vacation mode. When I returned from Oregon, I was still in vacation mode, plus I was eating pretty bad food. At the beginning of December, the hubby and I moved into our house and pretty much all my free time was spent unpacking and organizing. No more excuses. Time to whip this flabby, 30-year old butt into shape :) My goal for Week 1 is 30 minutes of cardio, 4 times this week. 

2. Keep A Food Diary-

I kept a food diary for a couple of months last year, and it was an excellent way to hold myself accountable for what I was eating. Needless to say, I've gained a couple lb's from my lifestyle at the end of 2012, so I'm going to need to keep track of calories to get back where I was.

3. Finally Learn How-To Roast a Chicken-

Those damn birds. I'll get a victory in 2013, watch me!

4. Improve My Photography-

After reading the Pioneer Woman's series on photography, I'm bound and determined to learn how to use my digital camera and in turn, create better pictures for my blog. I'm also going to be spending some time with Photoshop, and figure out how to improve the food images that I use.

5. Save More Money-

Last year, I had $3300 in my couponing account before the hubby and I used that money as a down payment on our new appliances. What a difference having that down payment made! We'll have our appliances payed off in 10 months, rather than doubling that amount of time. My goal for the year is $3500, which I think is a do-able goal.

There's 2013 in a nutshell for year. All my goals make sense for my lifestyle and the way I live, so I don't think I will have a problem accomplishing any of them this year. Well, the chicken is the only thing that keeps besting me...

But I'll get it :)

Have Cheech's, Will Fly

Our vacation that starts in 16 days? Turns out we are flying. I'm super excited about the vacation, and a little nervous about flying with the dogs. We were going to rent a car and drive, but after we worked on the budget we discovered driving would cost twice as much. Thus, we bought plane tickets yesterday and reserved 2 doggy spots. I'm more worried about Gizmo than Haloti. Gizzie gets scared very easily, and I think could whine and/or bark more. I think Haloti will behave. Besides scaring them, I'm also worried that cabin pressure and altitude changes will hurt their ears or something. I've been doing a considerable amount of Internet research since I found out we are flying yesterday, and everything I've read so far says that air travel is fine for dogs. I'm feeling very fortunate the little guys are little, so that they can fly in the cabin under our feet. If they were big dogs, this would all be out of the question. I would never fly my dog in the cargo hold. So here I am, trying not to get too worked up about this. I'm guessing the whole thing will turn out just fine. Plus, all the travel for the trip will be done in 2 days, instead of 6. Can't beat that.

In house news, plumbing was put in over the weekend and HVAC people are there working this week. We are anxiously awaiting the electrician, because as soon the electricity is done, we can pour the basement floor and drywall/sheetrock can get started. That guy better turn up soon :) I didn't find the plumbing pictures scintillating enough to post a bunch of pictures of. Drywall/sheetrock? Definitely some exciting stuff. Also, I believe the county is coming out to inspect the plumbing today, so fingers crossed that that goes well! I can't imagine why it wouldn't.

I'm still on "Operation Lose 11 lbs", so I'm off to get a long workout in. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Food Diary Of A Food Fanatic

http://caloriecount.about.com

I must admit, my eating and alcohol habits have not been the healthiest lately. The hubby and I are obviously under some stress, what with the house construction and living in someone else's house, but it's definitely caused us to overindulge. Both in food and cocktails. The straw that broke the camels back was I got on the scale on Tuesday, and realized I'd gained 6 lbs from Friday to Monday! I know some of the weight was probably water weight, but the more I thought about it (especially about the crap that ate and drank on Sunday), the more I realized that I have been eating too much.

After stepping on the scale that morning, I just felt... gross. I decided it was time for a change. I've kept food journals in the past, and they help me stay accountable for what I'm eating. I think about what I eat, because I know I'm going to have to add it to my journal. So, I signed up at caloriecount.about.com. I've been keeping track of my calories for 3 days now, and the plan is working.

Working out hasn't been my problem, I've been getting 4 workouts a week in. Good, long ones too. It's just the amount I eat and/or drink after my workouts that is the problem. I never think about how many calories are in those vodka cocktails I make (lots!). With watching my calories and working out, I stepped on the scale this morning, and discovered I lost my 6 weekend lbs. A good start, but I'm still 11 lbs over my normal weight. Time to keep going!

I do feel like I'm "restricting" my calories, even though I'm eating between 1500-1700 calories. It's always hard to train your body back to what's normal when you've been having a free-for-all. But a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do. I've also swapped out my 2nd cup of coffee in the morning for a cup of green tea with lemon juice. 3 servings of green tea a day is supposed to aide weight loss, and can also boost your metabolism up to 80 calories. I know 80 calories doesn't sound like a lot, but to burn that just from drinking tea? Sign me up.

So you can find me on caloriecount.about.com, under the username JessicaJarr13. I know, a totally creative name. As for now, it's time to go hit up that elliptical :)

Wednesday- By The Numbers

50- minutes of cardio I've done today
100- amount of crunches done today
25- reps of lunges, squats, and jumping jacks done 3 times today
60- seconds of planks done today
6- lbs I've lost since I started detox
94- the high temperature for the day
82- % the humidity is supposed to be today
21- days since we signed our construction loan with no construction having started on our home (argh!!!)
40- days we have been staying with the hubby's aunt and uncle with no construction having started on the home (double argh!!!)
3- business days after signing our construction loan that construction was supposed to start
2- cups of coffee I've had today
11- new beauty products I've tried this month
7- number of those products I would buy again
5- amount of times the dogs have gone to sit by the door to go outside
45- amount of minutes I will spend vacuuming up dog hair today
7- hours spent slow cooking a pork shoulder yesterday
20- minutes it will take to bake a pizza with yesterday's leftover pork shoulder
1- amount of days until I get my hair done!
0- amount of patience I have left with the home construction situation

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! Once again, hoping today is that special day that construction starts. Sheesh, I'm breaking out not 1, but 2 bottles of champagne the day that someone actually shows up!

Greek Quinoa Salad

This is the perfect summer salad. It's made with quinoa, which is a dream food for someone trying to watch their weight. It's loaded with veggies, tangy feta cheese, and salty kalamata olives. I'm loving all the fresh summer produce. The dressing is olive oil and lemon juice whisked together, and provides fragrant citrus notes to the dish. Best of all, there's only 185 calories in a one cup serving!

Chopped tomatoes, yellow pepper, and cucumber. As I've said before, you can take the skin off the cucumbers, but I like to leave the skin on.

Add in the halved kalamata olives and the feta.

It's a pretty easy salad once all the chopping is done, and the quinoa is cooked. Quinoa cooks like rice, so it's not too hard to master. I made a big batch of this on Monday to eat for healthy lunches this week, and now that it's Thursday, I'm happy to report that the salad is standing the test of time. It's been fabulous having something healthy already made for lunch this week.

I've been sticking to healthy eating this week, and an exhausting exercise regiment. I haven't lost any more weight since the initial 5, but hey, I feel 100 times better. I am looking forward to rewarding myself tomorrow, though! :)

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup tomato, chopped
1/2 cup yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3 tbsp kalamata olives, halved

Directions:
1. Place quinoa in a large bowl, cover with water, and let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan, stir in quinoa. Cover and lower heat. Simmer 15 minutes, or until liquid has dissipated. Fluff with a fork, and set aside. Let cool to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil through sea salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine tomato through kalamata olives. Add cooled quinoa to the bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad, and toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Detox, Continued

I'm still trying to shed the recent weight I gained. I've been working out every day, watching what I eat, and avoiding alcohol. I've been making sure to get my cardio in, and I've been concentrating on different areas every day for strength training. I've been rotating between ab, arm, and leg/butt workouts. I weighed yesterday, and discovered I had lost 5 lbs! A great start, as this lady won't be telling you how much I gained :)

I was having major chocolate cravings all day, and I knew I had to give in. I had to give in before the cravings became an all out free-for-all. This was a reasonable treat that felt like a major indulgence. I put together a sugar-free dark chocolate pudding cup at 60 calories, 20 calories of sugar-free cool-whip, and a banana at  a 105 calories. OMG. Life changer!

I made a batch of quinoa salad to eat for lunch this week, and so far it's been clean eating since the 4th. I think my detox is going to last at least one more week. My running shoes get a little more broken in every day :)

I may have to reward myself with a cocktail when I've accomplished my mission. But just one!

Pics: First Week of July

A diet worthy breakfast- whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter and sliced bananas.

Cuddlebunnies :)

Picked up some beauty treats at Walmart- a couple of masks and a new mascara to review.

Red Robin lunch on a Cincinnati trip. BLTA croissant and clam chowder. Yum!

We brought some new bones home for the boys.

Working on breaking in my new running shoes. Love them!

Sidled up at the water trough.

Mist rolling in through the hills.

Pretty July sunset.

Good Ol' Fashioned Motivation

Oh peeps. I've strayed so far from the fitness path, it's not even funny. Since we've been staying with the hubby's aunt and uncle, I've been acting like we are on vacation. Not eating what I should, drinking way too often and too much, and putting my workouts on the back burner. Well, I fished my scale out from under the bed yesterday to see where I was at. I was so shocked by what I saw that detox started at that moment. On 4th of July. On a holiday. On a holiday with family where everyone is eating and drinking.

I've turned to Pinterest for some motivation. There is a wealth of diet and fitness information on there. I've decided that before I reach for a snack or a drink, I will turn to Pinterest for 15 minutes and reassess my need for said junk food and or/booze. I think I've got a shot. For a few weeks, I need to make sure I work out 5-6 times a week and I'm cutting back on sugar and alcohol.

I find so many inspiring tips on Pinterest, I can't believe I resisted the movement for so long. It's typical Jessica behavior, I did tell my husband for 3-4 years that I would absolutely not get an iPhone. Not ever. I caved :)

http://allwomenstalk.com/12-best-ways-to-lose-stomach-fat/

I will add that these are more than just images. They lead to websites with fitness tips, such as the 12 best ways to lose stomach fat and 30 day fitness challenges.

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2012/01/02/day-1-of-our-30-day-challenge-fit-test/

Since I'm working on my diet for the time being as well, I'm going to try and eat clean. More fruit, more veggies, lean meats, whole grains, and protein. And water. Lots and lots of water.

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/fresh-food-friday-100-healthy-snack.html

Good start to clean eats!

http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-eat-clean-meals.html#

Taco Turkey Casserole

http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-eat-clean-meals.html#

Thai Chicken Salad

I found these 2 recipes on a cool new fitness blog I will now be following. I started good tonight, making a pork and veggie stir fry. The stir fry had onions, diced red pepper, sliced mushrooms, edamame, and chunks of pork tenderloin. The sauce was flavored with fat free chicken broth, a splash of soy sauce, and honey. So yummy for such a light dish, which I served over rice. I really need to get back to blogging about cooking. It's been really tough to blog about cooking with 3 hungry people staring at me as I try to hurry and get dinner done :) Not a lot of time to document my process.

Anyhoo, I'm embarking on a detox. Hopefully for the next month, or until some of the weight starts to come off. Happy Friday Fitday! :)

Pumped Up Kicks

Confession time:

It's been a long time since I bought new running shoes. A long, long time. I'm talking, an embarrassing amount of time. My shoes have gotten to the point where I'm just mortified to wear them.

I realize when shoes get as worn out as I've let mine get, they aren't good for your feet. They don't offer the support that they should, for my legs or back. I guess I've just pushed running shoes so far down on my list of priorities, that I was bound to make it to this point sometime.

Well, no more. It's time to get some new shoes. I'm having a hard time deciding what I want to get.

These Nike's are pretty much like every other running shoe I've ever bought. In fact, I don't know if I've ever bought anything other than Nike... So you could say, I know what to expect out of my ol' faithful Nike's.

Which brings me to Aasics. I love these shoes! Very, very different from any other athletic shoes I've bought. I'm thinking, these are so bright and cheery, how could I not want to work out?

Ahh, Pumas. I've haven't owned Pumas since high school. I wore my Pumas from high school until the soles fell off. I loved those shoes. I wish they still made them... But anyways, I like these running shoes. Pretty basic, with a splash of my fave color, purple.

I think I'm going to let my choice sink in, and buy the one I want tomorrow. I'm so weird about shopping. I see something I like, think about it for days, and then when I decide I absolutely want it, it's gone. Story of my life.

I'm pouncing tomorrow.

BTW, I think it's going to be the Aasics :)