Fit Friday!

So I mentioned last week that I needed a new workout regimen and purchased Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 video. It was just what I needed!!! I am back to my old self - loving working out intensely and feeling the burn. I am on day 6 which means in one more day I will move up to Level 2, eek!

I really enjoy the video. The moves are much different from The Shred and I get a great workout. The first time I did the video I thought I was going to pass out. It was intense! The more I do the video the easier it is so I debated about using heavier weights (I'm using 5 lbs right now), but decided instead to just follow the advanced girl and that has proven to get me sweating up a storm again. I felt the burn after the first few times I did the video. Especially in the arms, which I desperately need.

This was the best $9 ever spent. I love that I'm back to enjoying working out everyday and making it a priority again. It feels so good and becomes so addicting! Even Garth enjoys this new video and has been doing it on his off days for running. I love that we do the video together!

I have not been doing my menu posts lately because my dinners have all been relatively similiar: brown rice, black beans, and avocado. It is healthy, delicious, and makes lots of leftovers for the rest of the week. Sprinkle in a tuna melt here, grilled chicken and edamame there and that is basically my dinners as of late. I just love it so much, I even got Garth addicted and he requests it!

For breakfast I either have a hard boiled egg on whole grain toast or Hungry Girl's Egg in a Cup. Lunch consists of a turkey sandwich - oven roasted turkey with lettuce and hummus on whole wheat bread. My snacks are usually an apple and string cheese about three hours after breakfast and a Yoplait Greek Yogurt with Granola about three hours after lunch. This is an average of 1500 calories a day, 1300 calories after working out.

I'm just one of those people that finds what they like to eat and eats it all. The. Time. I vary it on the weekends with protein smoothies, steak, baked potatoes, grilled chicken fajitas, etc. What are your go-to healthy foods?

Menu Monday

I know my biggest struggle to losing weight is the weekends. So I need to plan meals for the weekends too so we are not tempted to eat out or pick up junk food at the store. I plan meals during the week and we are pretty good at staying on track so I need to continue into the weekend. I'm hoping subsituting healthier versions of my favorite foods will help us not feel restricted. Here is what we have this week:

Monday - Chicken burritos. I got the idea from my favorite burrito of all time - the Baja Fresh burrito. Delicious! My version is a whole wheat tortilla with brown rice, black beans, avocado, and grilled chicken.

Tuesday - Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin. In our attempt be healthier and make it a lifestyle change I thought I would make one of my favorite foods (hashbrown casserole) healthier. I have no idea what to expect, but it will be good for me to branch out and try something new.

Wednesday - Tuna Melts. They are just so easy, filling and fast which is perfect on small group night when we are rushed.

Thursday - General Tso's Chicken. I could not believe how easy this looked and how many of the ingredients I already had on hand. Love that!

Friday - Beef Enchiladas, or what we now refer to as "My Mexican Casserole" since I make it so often. It is just THAT good. If you haven't tried it yet, you really just need to.

Saturday - Hungry Girl Fettucine Alfredo. I have been wanting to try the Tofu Shirataki Noodles for a while now and since I have a love affair with pasta I knew I needed a lower calorie option. I'm nervous to try these, but the reviews were pretty good!

Sunday - Homemade pizza. We usually get Jet's pizza on Sundays, but in an effort to be healthier we are going to make our own pizzas again. Whole wheat crust, tomatoes, basil, low fat mozzarella. Yum!

What's on your menu this week? Any favorite comfort foods made healthy?

Menu Monday

I can't believe the weekend is over. It went so fast, but it was so awesome. Good friends. Dancing the night away. Seeing out of town friends. Watching two amazing people say "I Do." Church. Mexican food date night. Being outside. Grilled steak.

I'm refreshed and ready for another week of healthy eating and running. Back to the grind! I have so many recipes pinned, but I haven't made that many so this is my menu, pinterest style!

Monday: Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna

Wednesday: Chicken Kebabs

Thursday: Vegetable Stew

Friday: Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Yum! I'm excited to try a few new recipes and utilize the crock pot again. I have missed it! What's on your menu this week?

Fit Friday & What I Wore

I did not weigh in today because when I weighed in last week I was incredibly disappointed. And discouraged. I'm running, my pants are looser, and I have been eating the Body for Life way. This is basically a protein, carb, and veggie at each meal. The weather has been amazing so Garth has enjoyed grilling chicken or fish on the grill and I prepare whole grain rice with broccoli and onions. So good. But anyways, no movement on the scale last week like I expected so I decided not to weigh in today. I just didn't want to be discouraged again. BUT I did try on a dress from my brother's wedding that did not fit two weeks ago... Like it would not zip all the way up. I tried it on last night and it zipped up effortlessly!!!!!! YAYAYAYA!

In other news, I decided to show you what I wore yesterday. I am not great at fashion and I hate shopping for clothes. I know, weird, right? I rather be reading or outside or buying something for the house. Anyways, I love this orange maxi dress from Old Navy (a gift from my MIL). It is the most comfortable thing I own. Seriously. It is not the most flattering though. I look huge in the picture, but I can't blame it all on the dress. I get tons of compliments when I wear it. The cardigan is from Target (a gift from my SIL, thanks Jess!!) and the necklace is from Hawaii (a gift from my parents). I told you I don't like shopping for clothes. The only time I get clothes is when people by them for me. I'm not even kidding about that.

So that is what I wore. I felt fashionable, which is pretty rare for me. And I felt comfortable, which is the most important thing.

Weekend Recap & Menu Monday

Happy Monday, friends! This weekend was so much fun, but it went too fast. As they always do, right? Friday night we went out to sushi with friends (that are getting married this week!!!!) and tried sake for the very first time.

No like. It tasted like watered down wine. And it was hot. Ewww. It was a gorgeous, balmy 75 degrees out so after a yummy dinner we walked around town.

On Saturday we did a little house project I'll talk more about tomorrow. Then we spend the rest of the day outside. I cannot get over this weather! We sat on the deck and read, grilled steaks for lunch, and just enjoyed our deck for the first time this year. We had havarti cheese and crackers with salami and white wine for dinner. I love cheese and crackers for dinner and we hardly ever make it, but it was so fun. After dinner Garth made a fire and we enjoyed the company of our neighbors. I woke up the next day with FIVE mosquito bites. In March. Insane!!!

Sunday we went to church and then went out to lunch with friends. We went for a long walk, relaxed on the deck, grilled, and watched Hugo and My Week with Marilyn. I loved them both so much. I have always been fascinated with Marilyn Monroe so I found the movie incredibly interesting. As for Hugo, I didn't know what to expect. I knew nothing about it, but I adored it. The story, the acting, the special effects... I just loved it all. I highly recommend this movie!

Now I'm getting into the grind of the week. It will be a busy week with running, wedding activities, and small group but it will be a fun week. My menu this week is not very exciting but here it is:

Monday - Grilled salmon with wild rice

Tuesday - Chicken Stir Fry

Wednesday - Tuna Melts

Thursday - Rehearsal dinner

Friday - Spinach and Feta Pie

What's on your menu?

Menu Monday

Wow, it was really hard to wake up this morning. I hate losing an hour, but I do love spring! I guess choosing to start a new workout routine in the morning after losing an hour was a bad idea. I could not get up for the life of me. Tomorrow I will wake up early. Today was just about getting out of bed.

The weather has been amazing in Michigan and I plan to take full advantage of that this week since it will be in the 60s again. Here is what we have on the menu:

Monday - Grilled Salmon with Lemon

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken with Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday - Tuna Melts

Thursday - Avocado and Black Bean Bowl

Friday - Weight Watcher Taco Casserole

This week we are being super healthy and since the weather is going to be so nice I plan to run with Garth. It is time to step it up a notch and see a drop on the scale and I think this menu plan will do it!

In other news, I have been making this Orange Berry Smoothie and it is good, but we need a new blender. It was an entirely too long process trying to get the fruits blended, but totally worth it!

YUM. I am on a smoothie kick for sure. What's on your menu this week?

Fit Friday!

As promised, here is Garth's Fit Friday update for you guys, enjoy!

I want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement during my training for the Chicago Marathon. I would be lying to you if I said I was proud of my progress and right on schedule because the truth is, it’s very challenging and sometimes discouraging and I’m still trying to adapt to the lifestyle change.
I know this may seem strange to you guys, but running is the easy part, it’s everything else like dieting, stretching, and resting that’s hard to balance in, on top of having a busy work week! I started running 2 miles 3 times a week and did that for the first few weeks then progressed to running 2-3 miles 3 times a week with a 5 mile run on Saturdays, which is where I am right now.

There were some setbacks, like having the flu and pulling a back muscle, but nothing too serious. As far as weight loss goes, I’m a little discouraged because I thought I would have lost more than what I have with all that running, but I was told that I would be building a lot of muscle during the beginning phases of the training and eventually the pounds will start dropping. I’ve only lost about 5 pounds but I do feel a lot stronger.

The goal right now is to get in shape for official advanced marathon training which will start in June and that will be to consistently run 3 miles 3 times a week with a long run on Saturdays, starting at 5 miles and increasing by one mile every Saturday, with two days of strength training in-between.

Sometimes reality kicks in and I find myself in a panic because I have already committed to running this race and there’s no backing out now lol. I still have a long way to go and sometimes I need some serious motivation, especially getting ready to do a run when it’s dark, icy, and below 20 degrees outside. But I just keep reminding myself why I’m doing it or more importantly, who I am doing it for! Stay tuned for some more body aches, crazy long runs, probably plenty of tears, and hopefully some major progress.

Thanks for listening and encouraging. It means more than you know! -Garth

Menu Monday

Ahhhh back to the grind after an amazing weekend spent with friends, relaxing, eating good food, and movie watching. Perfection.

This weekend Garth and I discovered the amazingness that is Aldi's. How did it take me so long to go here? Garth and I had heard it was cheap but we FREAKED out when we were inside. We could not believe how much cheaper it was than Walmart. I do not think we will ever go back! We bought our usual groceries and were under budget by $25!!! Love that.

Monday: Grilled chicken with peppers (3 peppers were $1.25!!!)
Tuesday: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Garlic Spaghetti sauce (only $1!) and frozen ground turkey ($1.50!)
Wednesday: Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza ($1 for tomatoes!)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chicken Tortilla Pie (Bag of frozen chicken was $5!)

I am sorry for all the exlamation points. It was really exciting for us. I know we looked crazy as we walked down the ailes saying stuff like "Whoa! These peanutes are $1.50 cheaper than Walmart!" But I think the biggest shock was our coffee was $4 cheaper than our usual. Crazyness. What's on your menu? Any budget friendly tips you have? There is nothing I love more than saving money!

Fit Friday!

Full disclosure: I didn't weigh in this morning. I ate a lot of hummus and pita bread last night and was so full and bloated I couldn't even sleep last night. That is the worst. I hate when I do that. Gah! I have a healthy chicken and broccoli dinner planned tonight to offset the sodium shock we put our bodies into last night.

In other news, we booked our hotel for the Chicago marathon. I am so excited! I think it just got real for Garth though. He saw the route and said "It just keeps going and going." Ha! 26.2 miles is no joke.

One of the girls in our small group was looking for something all of us girls can wear to support our men and she came across this shirt:
Hilarious! I'm thinking I want us all to wear hot pink cowboy hats to stand out in a crowd of 40,000. I think our boys could find us in those, right?

Garth has been running 3 miles three times a week and 5 miles on Saturdays. Check out his page here to find out why he is running. He will give you an update next week!

How are you all doing? Does anyone else find it extremely hard to stay on track when it's cold outside?

Fit Friday!

I maintained this week. I was a little surprised the scale didn't move because I have been eating really healthy dinners lately. Ah well. I have some exciting new ideas for the next week to switch things up and hopefully change the number on the scale.
First up, this Shrink a Size workout from Prevention. There are a few new moves on here that I have never done before so I'm excited to try this. After doing so many workout videos it's hard to find different moves but I was impressed to see some new ones I had never done like:

Read the paper
Firms: Front and side abs
Sit with knees bent, heels on floor, arms in front of body, as if holding a closed newspaper. Slow It Down: Roll back halfway down to floor and twist to left in 4 counts, as if opening the paper on left side. Pull yourself up to start position in 2 counts. Repeat on right side. Do 8 to 12 times per side. Make It Harder (Week 2): Hold a light weight (2 to 3 pounds) in each hand.

I also want to try this Super Smoothie. It looks yummy. I don't know why I don't make smoothies very often. I love them. I have a blender. They are pretty easy. I'm going to try and make a different smoothie everyday next week. Wish me luck. And if you have a favorite recipe let me know!

Menu Monday

Meal planning has become an obsession for me. I love it. I love planning and organizing so I'm not sure what took me so long. But it sure helps to not have the same conversation with Garth everyday that goes something like this:

G: "What do you want for dinner?"
L: "I don't care. What do you want?"
G: "I don't care either. What do we have?"
L: "I don't know. Let me check. How about spaghetti?"
G: "I don't feel like that."

And on and on and on. We may be the most indecisive people ever. Now I can just go on my phone apps like Food on the Table, Quick Meals, Healthy Recipes, Spinner Dinner, etc and meal plan with Garth as we drive to the grocery store Sunday after church. Brilliant!

But you guys have been talking about SkinnyTaste so I thought I would try some recipes out and spice things up. We have been eating a lot of the same things so it is time to try new recipes and find more favorites.

Monday: Baked Potato Soup
Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Wednesday: Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
Thursday: Black Bean Salad
Friday: Baked Mozzarella Sticks

What's on your menu this weekend? Are you trying new recipes too?

Fit Friday!

Thank you all so much for your sweet anniversary wishes. We had a wonderful night out at one of my favorite restaurants in town. We had steak, red wine, lots of laughs and reminicing. After dinner we came home and Garth gave me the sweetest card. I am obsessed with cards. They mean so much to me and I just adored the card Garth got me. It was so me. We watched our wedding video and talked about our goals for the next year. It was perfection.

After a dinner out I was hesitant to get on the scale this morning but I had lost another pound. Slow and steady win the race so I'll take it! Thanks for all your support for Garth and his marathon traning. You guys all rock! He is exciting to share his progress with all of you. He has been running 3 to 4 times a week for 3 miles. Tomorrow he is going to do a 5 miler with the guys. I will do the Shred and make Chicken Enchilada Pasta while he is out.

I did not cook as much as usual this week. We had take-out on Valentine's Day and we went out yesterday. Wednesday we had small group over for pizza, but I did make enchiladas on Monday and tonight I'm making chicken tacos. I think the key was focusing on tracking everything I was eating and keeping it at 1500 calories. Portion control. Portion control. Portion control. It was key! I also made sure to walk an hour each day and I woke up early to weight lift a few times this week thanks to an awesome accountability partner. You know who you are and I am thankful for you!;)

I'm hoping next week will be even better than this week! I'm going to try some new recipes from the highly recommended Skinnytaste. I need to switch up the meals and my workouts next week so this site should help. As for workouts, I'm going to try doing this every morning and see how it goes:

Happy Friday! How are you all doing?

Fit Friday!

I lost a pound when I weighed in today, woohoo! We were up north all last weekend with our small group and we had a blast, but I ate so much junk food. So to have lost a pound makes me happy. I have kept up walking an hour a day, cooking every night, and counting calories on My Fitness Pal app. Next week I'm going to start getting up at 5:30 to incororate weight training into my routine.

I was inspired to start weight training again because my February issue of Fitness focused on the power of strength. The article basically states that cardio is not enough, you need a strong core and muscle to look and feel healthy.

My new routine is going to be:
Monday - upper body
Tuesday - lower body
Wednesday - upper body
Thursday - lower body
Friday - abs

Ok, so are you wondering what the big announcement is?! Garth has signed up for the Chicago Marathon this fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Garth had mentioned he had a passion for getting clean water in Africa... He also said he wanted to make his 30th year his healthiest... So when the pastor of our church announced they were partnering with World Vision to raise money for clean water in Africa because nearly 1 billion go without it every day Garth could not say no.

He signed up along with most of the guys from our small group. Garth has been running 2 miles 4 to 5 times a week. He started running 3 miles 4 to 5 times a week this week. He has one rest day and one day of weight lifting.

I am incredibly proud of him for doing this. He has been so disciplined these last few weeks with his workout regimen. I am not a runner so I did not sign up, but I told Garth I would be supportive. That is why I've been making such an effort to make healthy meals every night so Garth is well nourished for his runs.

You can check out Garth's page here. He will also be updating you on his training once a month during my Fit Friday updates. If you want to give to this awesome cause you can do so on his page. Thanks in advance for your support! I am so proud of him (and excited for a fun weekend in Chicago)!

Menu Monday

Happy Monday friends! We had an awesome weekend up north with our small group and we are exhausted. But we had no food in the house so we went grocery shopping when we got back last night to stay committed to eating in. Our menu is not too exciting this week, but I have one newbie on the menu that I'm excited to try.

Monday - Grilled chicken, baked potato, and edamame. (The high is 47 degrees today, Garth couldn't resist grilling on the deck!)
Tuesday - Beef Enchiladas. (I know this is on the menu every week, but it is just THAT good).
Wednesday - Leftover Beef Enchiladas. (It makes delicious leftovers!)
Thursday - Tuna Melts. (Another recipe we love so much we eat it every week).
Friday - Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

What's on your menu this week?

Fit Friday!

It's official. My bathroom scale is broken. For real! I didn't weigh in last week because I had the flu and weighing in was the last thing on my mind. But the week before I noticed the numbers weren't showing up very well at all. I thought a new battery was needed so I bought a new one and weighed in this morning and I couldn't read the numbers at all. I guess it's not a battery issue, but a scale issue. So I don't know if I lost weight or not this week, I could barely read the darn thing. I'm bummed because it's a nice scale too. We got it at a wedding shower which was 4 years ago. Shouldn't a scale last longer than that? Oh well, I guess I'll be purchasing another one this week.

In other news, I have been doing really well this week. I felt better and had renewed energy. I cooked healthy meals, ate nutritious lunches and snacks, logged my food on My Fitness Pal every day, walked an hour a day, kept portions in check, and drank lots of water. I even got a Country Line Dancing workout video I'm excited to try!

Even though the scale didn't work this morning my jeans are looser on me and that is nice to see! How are you all doing?

Next Fit Friday I have a big announcement so get excited!!!!

Menu Monday

Last week was a bust when it came to trying new recipes. My turkey tetrazzini was too soupy and my lasagna was too rich. I was so annoyed because I spent a lot of money and a lot of time only to throw away food which I hate to do! So this week I'm sticking to oldies but goodies.

Monday - Beef Enchiladas
Tuesday - Tuna Melts (whole wheat bread, tuna in water, no mayo, with onion, celery and string cheese and in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted).
Wednesday - Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili
Thursday - Grilled Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza
Friday - Beefy Corn and Black Bean Chili

These are my tried and true recipes. I know they are good, healthy, and delicious. What are you tried and true favorite recipes?

Menu Monday

This week I have some yummy, less healthy choices. But it is a special week because it's Garth's Birthday Week! So he gets all his favorite meals this week. Though the menu may have some slightly more indulgent meals, we plan to still watch our portions and exercise everyday.
Here is what we have on the menu this week:

Monday: Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna
Tuesday: Chicken Enchilada Soup
Wednesday: Garth turns the big 3-0! Out to dinner.
Thursday: French Onion Soup
Friday: Avocado Grilled Cheese

I was asked where I get my menu ideas. My favorite sites for recipes are: Allrecipes, Cooking Light, and Pinterest. What's on your menu this week?

Fit Friday!

Today I weighed in and lost two pounds. Woohoo! This past week has been really busy, but I planned ahead with dinners which made things so much easier. I am loving meal planning now. It is my new obsession. All the meals I made this week were full of lean meat or beans, veggies, and delicious. We watched our portion control and did not snack after dinner. Garth has been running after work and I walk an hour on my lunch break. I think the biggest challenge is continuing to cook healthy meals and watch calories on the weekends.

Thanks for all of your advice last week, I really appreciated it! We really are trying to make this a lifestyle change and not a quick weightloss plan. The changes we have made do not feel like sacrafices at all. And seeing the loss this week really helps motivate me for another great week! How are you all doing?

Menu Monday

I live in Michigan. It is cold. Bitter cold. And snowy this time of year. This will explain why my meals this week are comfy, warm your soul type of meals. I crave those types of dishes this time of year!

Monday - WW Crockpot Cabbage Soup
Tuesday - Beef Enchiladas
Wednesday - Turkey Tetrazzini
Thursday - Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili
Friday - Broccoli Chicken Stir-Fry

I started using this cute Menu Planner template from Mommy Tracked and I love it. I print a new one each week, plan my meals, fill this out, grocery shop, and then stick this cute little Eat Sheet on the fridge. Looks like a yummy week to me! What's on your menu?

Fit Friday!

It is official. I have gained ten pounds since Myrtle Beach. That is really annoying! I have the hardest time maintaining my loss. So I am joining the lovely Erika on the 10 Pound Challenge. I need to lose this weight and keep. It. Off. For. Good.

I have been eating healthy this week with low calorie meals with tons of veggies and keeping my portions and snacking in check. I have been working out for an hour a day and so I hope to have a loss next week!

Garth and I are thinking of getting P90X, but for now we are both running and watching our calorie intake. I cannot tell you how much easier it is to lose weight when Garth is on board with me. We encourag each other, work out together, and snack on the same healthy foods. He will even eat my low calorie dinners and enjoy them! I will share my meals on Monday since I will be meal planning this weekend. Any favorite low calorie meals you recommend?