Finally Feeling Better!!!!

So I feel like I needed to post today since it had been over a week since my last post. I have been sick the last week and since I like to think that I rarely get sick I tend to be a little overly dramatic when I do get sick. So I had the major I mean major head cold. It started as a cough and sore throat Saturday and then progressed to just a stuffy nose and runny eyes on Weds. and then melded into a milder version of all the symptoms at once which I am currently still getting over, but it is much more bearable now. :) Anywho I don't have much of a Weekend Report this week since I have no weight loss to report (which I can't understand since I barely ate for three days, I guess I made up for it the other 4) and I didn't workout at all this week well I did walk twice to the store and back but it is about a 5 min. walk.

But tommorrow I will be catching up on a couple reviews I have to do and then hopefully this next week will resume as normal.

Here's a few GiveAways I found going on:

Mindful Living: 1st giveaway 10/6

Leftovers for Lunch: lots of good stuff!!!

Danica's Daily: Tons of yummy pumpkin flavor up for grabs

Run to the Finish: Nutrition/Energy Bar GiveAway 10/10

What I ate Today 9/23

What was the best meal you had today??

Today everything I had was quite good but I would have to say lunch was my favorite. :)


Before I went out for today's workout I ate a Chocolate Brownie Z bar


Breakfast:
Deep Chocolate VitaTop w/ some banana frozen yogurt ( 1 1/2 bananas & 1 tbs PB blended together in my food processor)

and a little bit of almonds.
Lunch:
Grilled cheese sandwich, red & white bean chili topped with a little more cheese (can you see y lunch was my favorite)


Snack:
Some super good cantaloupe and organic low fat vanilla yogurt

Dinner:
Salmon, spanish rice and a baked sweet potato...

and to drink 1 part grape juice 3 parts mineral water

GiveAways!!!!

Thorlo Socks, Nathans Hydration Bottle, Run U Mother, Zensah, Zensah (yes another one), Zevia, Lift Your Sole

WeekEnd Report 9/20

My Workouts

Monday: 2.5 miles
Tuesday:Jillian's No More Trouble Zones DVD
Total miles miles :2.5 miles

Overall: Now that has cooled off a little I plan to start walking in the mornings with my youngest until I get my hands on a jogging stroller so I can go running in the morning. if your wondering how many calories you burn walking ezinearticles.com has a good formula to figure it out

Weight Report: I have decided to try and lose 20 lbs by Dec. 4th So I figured I would add my progress here.

Starting:8/17- 149lbs
8/21- 146lbs
9/06- 144 lbs
9/13- 144 lbs
9/20-146 lbs
Loss to date 3 lbs

Overall: Well In theory I would like to lose 20 lbs. but in action and motivation I am not showing it. Ever since I proclaimed my weight loss I have been doing good with watching my diet however my workouts have been decreasing instead of increasing.

Great posts I came across this week:

*Race Reports: Mrs. CJ Running , Running around Normal,

* Stuff I wanna try: Pumpkin Power (a few really yummy looking links to pumpkin recipes.)

Food 411

Healthy Eating on a Budget*

1. Trim the sales. Shop what’s on sale or in season—whether it’s produce, poultry, fish or local fare. Build your weekly menu around good deals advertised in grocery circulars—but refrain from buying what you won’t use.

2. Can it. Choose canned or frozen veggies over fresh to keep foods bills in check. Stock up when your favorites are on sale—and rotate foods so the first in is the first out. And, there's no waste if you forgot about it!

3. Cool refuel. Dilute beverages such as lemonade or fruit juices with sparkling mineral water and a twist of citrus. Better yet, drink tap water and save more calories and cents.

4. Go meatless. Meat can be the most expensive part of a meal. Instead, serve up beans, tofu, and whole grains for a less expensive source of protein. Add in some fruits, veggies or salad and round out the rainbow of nutrients.

5. Economize. Buy family packs only if you use that amount. It makes sense to buy big and save, if you have storage space or can share—especially for paper goods or items with long shelf lives.

6. Minimize. Limit shopping trips to just once weekly. You’ll save on time and gas, cut out impulse purchases and take advantage of fresh sale items. Good deal!

7. Make cents. Download and clip coupons regularly for items you typically buy. But check prices at the shelf. Sometimes another brand may be less expensive—even without a coupon.

8. Do the math. Look at the price per ounce details on store shelves to be sure you’re getting a good deal. Buying in bulk is often cheaper but be sure the numbers support your purchase decisions.

9. Mother of invention. Include an “innovation day” in menu planning and create a meal from what you have on hand. Experiment with new combinations—and use up what’s in cabinets, fridge and freezer.

10. Fill’er up. Eat before you shop. Shopping when hungry (or with ravenous tag-a-longs) can distract you—making it difficult to stick to your shopping list. And it could cause you to fill the cart with unplanned food purchases. Ouch!

*information obtained from eatbetteramerica.com

GiveAways !!!!!!

Thorlo Experia Socks, Pumpkin Butter, Vegan Soul Cookbook,

Today's Eats 9/16

Breakfast:
1/2 c. egg beaters, wheat toast w/pb and carrot & orange juice.

Snack:
the sample box of Kashi Honey Sunshine came in handy mid morning.

Lunch:
A piece of the veggie lasagna I made and froze last week. vegetables include yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms and spinach.

Dinner:
Halibut seasoned with creole seasoning and lemon, 1/4 c. rice topped with kidney beans and green beans on the side.

Dessert:
Triple Chocolate Chunk VitaTop on top of plain yogurt w/ agave and almonds.

GiveAways!!!

Slow Down & Savor, Oikos,

WeekEnd Report & GiveAway Winner!!!

I am wanting to find a running partner, none of my friends are interested and I live in a really small town so any suggestions on what I can do to find one??

My Workouts

Monday: 2.5 miles
Tuesday:Jillian's No More Trouble Zones DVD
Thursday:2.5 miles
Saturday: No more Trouble Zones
Total miles miles :5.0 miles

Overall: I am a little disappointed because I had to miss the 5k I had registered for this weekend because when I registered I wasn't even thinking about the kids soccer season which started this weekend and runs through Oct. so I may have to hold off running any races til then unless I can find some close 5k's happening on Sundays.

Weight Report: I have decided to try and lose 20 pds. by Dec. 4th So I figured I would add my progress here.

Starting:8/17- 149lbs
8/21- 146lbs
9/06- 144 lbs
9/13-144 lbs
Loss to date 5 lbs


Most insightful/helpful /interesting posts I came across this week:

* Race Reports: Our Life in a "Blog", Running and Some Sauce on Top, The Inner Workings of a College Graduate

* Stuff I wanna try: Watermelon juice (wonder what it would taste like with some honeydew)

*Helpful post: Writing Content That Spread

Food 411
*How to Start Eating Healthier...

One of the biggest challenges to eating healthier is finding substitutions for existing foods in your diet. Here are some tips to make the transition easier:

• Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwiches. You’ll get lots of flavor with much fewer calories and fat.
  
  
• Select whole wheat bread over white bread. Be sure to read the label to ensure you’re getting whole grains, not just colored white bread.
  
  
• Eat the white meat of turkey or chicken, which is lower in fat than dark meat, red meat and pork. Animal fat is the number one dietary source of unhealthy saturated fat.
  
  
• Start using lean ground beef, pork tenderloin or fish instead of high-fat cuts of meat.
  
  
• Change your cooking methods. Bake, grill or broil your meals instead of frying. Use non-stick sprays—or better yet, non-stick pans—instead of oil.
  
  
• Drink more water. Slowly reduce the amount of soda you drink and replace it with herbal tea or water. Aim for eight cups of pure water each day.
  
  
• Don't drink your calories. Eat a whole orange instead of drinking a glass of juice, for example. Real food is usually more filling and more nutritious than juices, fruit drinks, and other high-calorie beverages.
  
  
• Serve sauces and dressings on the side. Dip your fork into the sauce, then dip your fork into the food. You’ll still have the flavor but with fewer calories.
  
  
• Gradually switch to skim milk. Milk commonly comes in four varieties: whole (4% fat), 2%, 1% and skim (0% fat). Gradually wean yourself from the higher-fat varieties to the lower fat milk every two weeks. For example: continue drinking your normal 2% milk for two weeks, then move to 1% for two weeks, and then your palate will be ready for the consistency of skim milk.
  
  
• Switch from full-fat cheeses to reduced-fat or fat-free cheeses the same way you would with milk (see tip above).
  
  
• Order vegetables on the side instead of fries. Flavor them with lemon juice or herbs instead of butter.
  
  
• Snack on fruit and nuts instead of sugary treats. The fiber, protein and healthy fats in this combo will sustain you to your next meal and you won’t have the energy slump that comes after eating candy.
  
  
• Reduce your portion size. Most people will eat whatever amount of food is in front of them, so start putting your meals on smaller plates. You will be just as satisfied because your mind "sees" that you’re eating a full plate of food.

*Information obtained from sparkpeople.com to read more of this article click here..

GiveAways !!!!!!

Nature's Path's GiveAway over at Hop, Skip and a Giant Leap.

Run Faster Mommy is givin away a ton of goodies.

Okay Giveaway Winner time, without further ado the winner is...

Allison from over at Sweets by Alli

Congrats Alli!!!!

and thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by and enter.

FF- Solixir Review

The wonderful people at Solixir were kind enough to send me a couple cans of each of their Solixir products to try out. The first thing I noticed is that they are not super sweet, (definitely a plus) you can tell the main ingredient is the sparkling spring water (it has a club soda taste) which gives it a crisp carbonated flavor. I enjoyed all three flavors of Solixir

.

Orange Mate: Their AWAKEN "blend of sparkling spring water, pure fruit juice, and natural invigorating botanicals like Yerba Maté and Panax Ginseng" Though I liked this one it was my least favorite of the three for no other reason than I liked the blackberry and pomegranate flavors over orange.

Pomegranate Ginger: Their RESTORE "blend of sparkling spring water, pure fruit juice, and natural rejuvenating botanicals like Ginger and Elderberry." I thought it was a nice blend of sparkling water and juice I actually like that white grape juice is before pomegranate juice on the ingredients list because it helps cut the crisp water and tart pomegranate juice to give it a nice balanced flavor.

Blackberry Chamomile: Their RELAX "blend of sparkling spring water, pure fruit juice, and natural calming botanicals like Chamomile and Lemon Balm." My favorite flavor aside from the great berry taste it might perhaps be my favorite because it is the Relax blend and that is something I really like to do but I find a have little time to do usually. :)

I am going to include 1 can of each flavor of Solixir's natural sparkling botanical beverages in my current Navitas Naturals GiveAway which ends tonight so if you haven't entered yet here's a little more incentive. :)

Yesterday's Eats

I didn't have time last night to get around to doing my Wednesday food post so here it is just a tad late...

Breakfast:

egg white omelet w/mushrooms, bell pepper & taco sauce, some cantaloupe and a juice which consisted of o.j., chia seeds, almond milk & spinach

Lunch:
My favorite thing to eat white & red beans over brown rice, a sweet potato chia seed muffin and some Solixir.

Dinner:
I tried to do an almond crusted fish but I didn't really like the topping, I would have been better of with some creole seasoning and lemon instead. Anywho I also had some mac & cheese ( I love mac & cheese but my grandmother's recipe is nobody's idea of healthy so instead of cutting it out completely I made sure to only have 1/4 c. instead of my usual pile it on method) and a side of mixed veggies.

I also had a IZZE sparkling blackberry. (so glad I found these at Costco)
Dessert:
I was really excited to try the No Pudge Fudge Brownie I picked up at Trader Joe's. It is so simple make a single serving, you just add 1 tbs vanilla yogurt for every 2 tbs of mix.
pop it in the microwave for 1 minute and viola! chocolately deliciousness. I topped it with some banana frozen yogurt and it was sooo good.

Not pictured the apple crisps I munched on while cooking dinner.

GiveAways:

Lift Your Sole, Chia Seeds Direct, Hallie's Favorites, Healthy Cookie

WeekEnd Report 9/6

Since it's a three day weekend me and my husband decided to try and tackle cleaning out our garage which has takin up so much of my time this weekend than i thought it would, I didn't do as much with this post as I would have liked.

My Workouts

Monday: 2.5 miles
Tuesday:Jillian's No More Trouble Zones DVD
Thursday:2.5 miles 3x15 leg extension, press, abduction, adduction
Total miles miles :5.0 miles

Overall: My treadmill is now out of commission (the belt won't stay straight) anywho so that seriously cripples my ability to run as many miles as I would like. :( I am hoping to run at least 10 miles this week. I am excited for my next 5k this Saturday it has been a little over a month since I ran one.

Weight Report: I have decided to try and lose 20 pds. by Dec. 4th So I figured I would add my progress here.

Starting:8/17- 149lbs
8/21- 146lbs
9/06- 144 lbs
Loss to date 5 lbs


Most insightful/helpful /interesting posts I came across this week:

* Stuff I wanna try: Watermelon juice (wonder what it would taste like with some honeydew)

*Helpful post: Writing Content That Spread


GiveAway !!!!!!

Nature's Path

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day!!

Great GiveAways 9/2

You can head over to Taydor Tott and enter to win some Nature's Path products. Ends: 9/4

Quinn over at Everything in Moderation is giving away a few of her favorite: Ends 9/3

Over at an Apple A Day she currently has a Flax Matters Giveaway and a Nutridel Cookie GiveAway going on. Both End 9/8

FF- Nativas Naturals and a GiveAway!!

This week I had a great opportunity to try a couple of products from Navitas Naturals. Navitas Naturals carries a wide variety of " premium organic functional foods that increase energy and enhance health. "

I received some Chia Seeds which I have been wanting to try for some time now. "Chia seeds are an excellent source of dense nutrition with their healthy omega oils, easily digestible protein, and antioxidants."

I have tried the chia seeds plan right out of the pack and in the form of chia gel in my morning juice concoctiona. I actually like it in gel form better it acts as a kind of thickening agent. I always worry about adding new ingredients to something I am already used to for fear that it will mess up the texture or flavor, but in both ways I used the chia it didn't really change anything so I was quite pleased with it. I can definitely see myself purchasing chia seeds ( 5.99 8 oz. bag) or even the chia powder (11.99 8 oz bag) in the future. What is your favorite way to use chia seeds?

I also tried out the Camu Powder."Camu is most famous for its mega-C content, containing 30 to 60 times more vitamin C than an orange." I also added this to my morning juices it has a very noticeable flavor but not overpowering and more tart than sweet. This product is a little pricey for me (38.99 for and 8 oz bag) so this isn't something I would regulary buy for myself, however it came at the perfect time because a couple of the kids were dealing with very mild colds so the extra Vitamin C was definitely a plus.
I have a few other items on my wish list to try that Navitas Naturals carries. Their site is a great source of information as to benefits of some unique and common superfoods, it also has quite a few recipes.
Aside from all the great products Navitas Naturals is a great company to support.

From the Website:

"Navitas Naturals is proud to be a green business, supporting fair-trade policies and sustainable agriculture. Our power foods are certified organic, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, raw, and certified kosher."

Okay GiveAway Time!!!!

Up for Grabs:
1 pkg. Navitas Natural Trail Mix
1 pkg. Navitas Naturals Cocao Nibs
1 pks. Apple Crisps
1 probar superfood bar
1 clif bar apple streudal bar
1 odwalla super protein bar
1 odwalla mocha walla bar
and a few extras I through in. :)

To enter: (mandatory entry)

Visit the Navitas Naturals site and let me know one product you would like to try.

Extra Entries

~Become a follower or let me know you already do.
~Link back to this post

Contest ends 9/12. One winner will be randomly chosen. I will post and email the winner, so be sure to leave a valid email.

Today's Eats 9/2

So let's get to it...

Breakfast:

Juice which consisted of orange juice, frozen blackberries, camu powder and chia seeds and a chocolate chip peanut odwalla bar.

Lunch:
A very unimpressive a Chicken Enchilada Smart Ones meal ( I could only stomach half so not good) and then a sure bet side of mandarin oranges.

I drank some green tea w/lemon and honey

Snack:

Oh a snack was definitely on the menu today since lunch was a bust I found these Apple Crisps at Costco and so happy I did they are really good (only 39 calories per pack) and a sample I received in the mail from Somersaults Snack Co.

They were also really good if I can find them in a store near me I will definitely pick some up, if you go to the Somersaults site you can request a sample.

Dinner:
It may not be much of a looker but it was definitely the highlight of my day
I found a cod recipe at easyfishrecipes.com and I had some rice & quinoa mixed with red and white beans, paired with some broccoli and finished off with half a bottle of POM pomegranate peach passion white tea. (It was super good a little sweet but I am the queen of watering stuff down so I just did a 1:1 ratio water to tea and it was perfect. )

I ended up breaking up my fish and turning it in to a fish strew of sorts.

I haven't decided if I am going to do a dessert tonight or not but if so it will probably be 1/2 a Nana's No Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.