24 Days of Thanks: Day 2

Today when I took my car to get the oil changed, I found out the that my radiator is cracked. Yippee! Not. Even though that sucks BIG TIME, I am thankful that I HAVE a car to begin with. Even if cars are expensive as all get out when something goes wrong. Fingers crossed the warranty covers it!

24 Days of Thanks: Day 1

Today I am thankful that I am healthy and able to work-out. The "high" you get from working out is unmatchable and I try to remember not to take it for granted because many people that would like to be active are unable to.




Feel free to join me in 24 Days of Thankfulness. It's good to stop and remember all you are thankful for, and all you have to celebrate! What are you thankful for today?

Food Log Peek

Just thought I'd give a little peek into what a day of eating looks like for me! I try to stay between 1200 and 1400 NET calories (because I'm trying to lose weight). NET calories means that if I eat 1200 calories, then go workout and burn 300 calories, I will eat 300 more calories. I know it seems like "well what's the point of working out," but its very important that you have a minimum 1200 NET calorie intake or your body will go into starvation mode and start conserving calories (saving fat). If you lose weight in starvation mode it is most likely muscle and not fat.

Anyway, here's a look at my diet & fitness journal for last Thursday (just a random day I picked)!

Breakfast:
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch [190 cal]
5/8 Cup skim milk [55 cal]
homemade latte [45 cal]



Lunch:
3 slices of turkey [60 cal] on
whole wheat sandwich thin [100 cal] with
1/3 avocado [80 cal] and
2 slices tomato [5 cal]
25 carrots [35 cal]
1 tablespoon lite ranch dip [30 cal]


(this picture wasn't taken Thursday, but posts = better w/ more pictures!)

Snack:
1 kiwi [55 cal]

Dinner: (@ Zupa's!)
mixed greens salad with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, 1 hard boiled egg white, & 1 tablespoon low fat honey mustard dressing [150 cal]
2 pieces of french bread [180]

Dessert: (splurge @ TCBY)
1 1/2 Cups white chocolate mousse frozen yogurt with rainbow sprinkles [420 cal] (this was naughty! I went with the medium and should have gone with a small)

Post Workout Snack:
1 medium apple [80 cal]
special K strawberry protein bar [170 cal]
total intake = 1,655 cal

30 Day Shred Level 1 [-180 cal]
walk on treadmill for 45 minutes @ 3.5mph [-190 cal]
total output = -370 cal

Net Calories for the Day = 1,285!

InstaFriday: October 14

*Brayden will not eat solid vegetables, only pureed. And since this mama is busy, busy packing and doing homework and not pureeing vegetables, we buy these. Lots of these.


*Had a quick visit with Grandpa and build lots of lego towers!


*Got to take a nap on Mom. Win-Win! LOVE.


*Was going through some boxes in the garage and found this! I drew it very shortly after Jesse & I started dating. Crazy, feels like forever ago!


*Sleepy, sleepy boys. Driving to Salt Lake to eat at Spaghetti Factory while Uncle Ryan was visiting.


*Shower drain was clogged so I gathered my baking soda & vinegar, prepared to unclog it.. however, when I unscrewed the drain cap, THIS was the problem. GROSS!


*Quick drive to Morgan to check out the Browning outlet store, requested by Uncle Ryan.


*I thought riding Dumbo would lessen the sting of having to actually leave Toys R Us, but Brayden was not amused and still threw a fit when we left.


*Lunch today! :)


So, how was your week? Snap some pictures and link up at LifeRearranged!

Embrace the Camera: October 13

Excuse the quality, I didn't realize how awesome the quality of my iPhone camera is until my mom sent me this picture she took on her Android. Apple really is better :)



I love him :) He's so dang cute, I can't get over it! And man is he getting big! :/

Grocery Store Epiphany

I used to loathe grocery shopping. But since I started eating healthier, I actually enjoy going to the store and picking out new healthy foods and buying fresh fruits and veggies. Maybe I'm a weirdo. I mean, I wouldn't like to go every day or anything crazy.. but it's less of a chore now.

This last time I went to the grocery store I noticed something I've never noticed before:



This is the set up of the grocery section at the Super Target I go to. The entrance is at the bottom of the page. I don't know about YOUR grocery store, but this seems to be the set up of every grocery store I've ever been in. I had a few things on my list that were in the center aisles, but probably 80-90% of what I purchased was from the outer area of the grocery section.



These are the things that I purchased from the center aisles (labeled "BAD!" in blue on the drawing):
-low fat honey mustard dressing
-ketchup
-nutmeg
-sesame seeds
-kashi go lean crunch granola
-peanut butter
-whole wheat pita bread
-whole wheat english muffins
-truvia
-special k snack bars (only for emergencies when i'm really in a hurry and need a snack)
-coffee
-half & half
-graham cracker cookies for Brayden

For the most part, the center aisles are filled with sugary foods that will leave you hungry in an hour. The foods on the ends of the aisle (pink on the drawing) are even worse! They are placed there simply to catch your eye and cause you to make an unneeded purchase.

The majority of your shopping trip should be spent on the outside aisles: dairy, meat, and produce.







The biggest part of my purchase included fresh fruits and vegetables, soy milk, almond milk, skim milk, low fat yogurt, white fish, shrimp, eggs, low fat feta cheese, etc. When I put my groceries away, I scatter them in the fridge so basically everywhere I look is something healthy! Makes it much easier to decide what to eat :)

So, if you're trying to eat healthier, stay out of the center aisles!!

Embrace the Camera: October 6

Just a quick post with some pictures of me and my sweet boy embracing the camera :)





Blurry. Crazy crop. But I don't care because this is so representative of Brayden at this age. He just wants to go go go and play play play. If he ever stops it's to give me a 1/2 second slobbery kiss or maybe steal a few bites of food. It's nearly impossible to get a clear, focused picture of him - unless he's sleeping.

Now go embrace the camera with your loved one(s)!