How am I Doing?

Hey everyone,

My friend Gabby thought it would be a great idea to create a survey for my followers to take, just to see what types of exercises and stuff you like to do. Also, to see how you think I'm doing!

Please take a few moments to take this survey. This way, I know how to cater to my awesome followers accordingly =)


Sweet Nutrition Survey

Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Have to make a dish for Thanksgiving this year but have no clue what to make? I am sure almost everyone reading this is in the same boat. But what if I want to make some sort of healthy dish to bring to the table?

Have no fear! Thanksgiving has been at my moms or my aunts house for the last 27 years, and every year I try to make something different to bring. Last year I had found a recipe for sweet potato mac and cheese. It wasn't much healthier than regular mac and cheese, but sweet potatoes have some great benefits, and it tasted great!

I am starting to research ideas since this wonderful holiday of ours is approaching in 2 weeks! Roasted brussel sprouts is always an easy dish to go for, but I am looking to make it interesting! I found a recipe for squash gratin (instead of potato gratin). Roasted butternut squash is another easy, yet healthy dish to make. Roasted vegetables, quinoa salad, and many more salads you can find as well! There are tons of dishes you can find online that are super easy to make, and guilt-free!

Some of you may think that I am a bit coocoo trying to think of healthy recipes to make over the holidays, BUT this is the time where many of us tend to put on the big ol lbs. You can still enjoy these healthy dishes by adding your own touch to it, and you will also feel healthy and not as bad knowing that you can make healthy dishes that still taste great!

What are you bringing to the table this year?

Seriously Sticking to a Diet....

After what I have eaten these last 4 days, I am FINALLY starting my diet. Sometimes you just need that last hoorah to get out of your system.

Although I have plenty of time, I know it will take me a while to get used to not eating certain things, so I figured I would slowly (and for real this time) start NOW. The sweets have got to go for good, or else I may be hooked on them forever! No more ice cream or chocolates during the day or at night. Meal prepping is still 4 days a week for the most part. If I do not meal prep, I make sure I get a salad for lunch. I am going to start bringing more veggies to work as a snack.

No fried foods or binge drinking… I know, they are just such a great combo, but GOT TO GO! 

I will be mixing up my workout routine this week with both boxing and the gym. Boxing will help me burn the most calories, and the gym will help me with toning.

This time I am going to be serious and really stick to this! I have a lot to look forward to come the beginning of next year and want to make sure I am feeling and looking great!

Meals: 

Monday/Tuesday:

• Breakfast- vegan protein shake with organic peanut butter and 1 banana
• Lunch- grilled chicken and roasted brussel sprouts
• Snack- carrots and celery
• Dinner- steak salad/teriyaki (ground) turkey rice bowl

Wednesday:

• Breakfast- scrambled egg whites and a side of turkey bacon
• Lunch- leftover teriyaki turkey rice bowl
• Dinner- TBD (healthy)

Thursday:

• Breakfast- scrambled egg whites and avocado
• Lunch- grilled chicken salad (from outside)
• Snack- carrots
• Dinner- sushi

Friday:

• Breakfast- oatmeal with berries
• Lunch- TBD (something healthy)
• Dinner- TBD (something healthy)

Time management

Many of us like to come up with any and every excuse in the book to not work out, but that all stops NOW.

What are some of these excuses I speak of? Well let’s take a gander, shall we!

1.      I’m too tired

2.      I’ll go tomorrow

3.      I have to work late

4.      I have no motivation

5.      I have no time

6.      I have no energy

7.      I have to walk the dog

8.      I have a happy hour to go to

9.      I don’t want to cook dinner late

These are just some of the many excuses that we can give, but fortunately, there is a solution for all of them =)

If you’re too tired, the gym tends to give us that second boost of energy, and you actually get more done after a workout than if you were just sitting on your ass at home. If you keep putting the gym off until tomorrow, you won’t make it for a very VERY long time....make it...... TODAY. If you have to work late, go in the morning before work, OR if you have time during your lunch break, OR go after work if you don’t have to work late every single night (it won't kill ya, trust me). Motivation has to start somewhere, and that’s with Y-O-U. You are the only person that can truly motivate and push yourself to go.

Stop making excuses and start making moves! It is the only way you will truly meet your goals and see results. Once you start getting in the swing of things and have a routine down, the gym (or however you decide to exercise) will be a second nature to you.

Don't Hibernate Because of Weather Change!

Just because the seasons have changed, and the temperature is slowly starting to drop, doesn’t mean go into hibernation and become a couch potato! This is the absolute best time to start losing weight/toning up for the summer! I know, I probably sound crazy talking about next summer when it is months and months away, but the perfect body doesn’t happen overnight!

This is what many of us take for granted. We have to push through the cold fall/winter nights, and get our butts to the gym! If you’re the type of person who has to bring their gym clothes to work in order to make sure you go straight to the gym instead of home, then by all means… DO IT!

Even if you work out 3 times a week, that is better than nothing! Take a class at the gym, or put together a routine like I do! Right now, I’ve been focusing mainly on cardio, but I have noticed that my ass has definitely lost its shape and is looking a bit flat -_____-, so I am going to focus more on my butt and thighs over the next couple of weeks, and then I will switch over to arms. The key to my workout, is to really be strict with what I am eating. Today, I brought shrimp stir fry for lunch. No rice or any sort of high carbs in the stir fry, just shrimp and veggies! I also used a low-sodium teriyaki sauce to sauté with.

Football season is also upon us, so on Sunday’s, I will make those my cheat days =). Starting off with one cheat day a week, and then once I get used to it, I will try for every other week. I am sure you guys already have it down that I am a HUUUGEE sweets person. I found these Lara Bar Bites at the CVS by my office, to keep in my desk for when I’m craving M&Ms. They are double chocolate brownie, and are made with dates, almonds, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, coconut flour, and sea salt! One of these little brownie bites will satisfy my sweet tooth, and then I don’t feel as guilty.

If you are a big snacker like myself, start buying healthier snacks to keep at your desk and in your home. Hummus and pita chips or veggies is also a great snack to keep in the fridge at work. Just don’t take advantage and overindulge, or else you will defeat the whole purpose of healthy snacking.

Sweet Cravings

Since I LOOOOOOVE sweets so much, it is extremely difficult for me to cut them out of my wedding diet. I have tried substituting water for sweets, or buying healthier options (which are not as good) such as flourless brownies or having a piece of dark chocolate, etc.

It is a good thing that I have 6 months to go, but obviously I would like to start seeing results by January/February of next year. I also started buying Del Monte fruit cups to substitute for that cookie or Ben and Jerry’s I may be craving at the moment. Believe it or not, it actually has started to work! I always pour out the liquid from the juice cup and just eat the fruit because I don’t want that extra added sugar. They are only 100 cals, but you have to be sure that you are not eating these every day because the sugar content is a bit high. I guess the sugar content is lower if you pour out the liquid, but not by much. This is also one less thing I want to be hooked on to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Eating fruits later in the day/night that are high in sugar, are definitely not recommended if you are trying to lose weight.

Another way I try to curb my sweet cravings is to make sure I have a filling dinner that will leave me with absolutely NO ROOM for dessert. I know over the next couple of weeks when I start getting super super serious, it will be a no-brainer, but for right now it is KILLING ME!!!

For the most part, I am pretty good with not over-indulging when I do eat dessert.

How are some ways you control your cravings when you are on a diet?

Balsamic Chicken With Chopped Brussel Sprouts

I have been trying to find healthier chicken alternatives to make for my lunches during the week because I am just getting so sick of grilled chicken and quinoa!

I decided to research balsamic chicken recipe's, so that my chicken has a bit more flavor than plain old grilled chicken that is seasoned with some salt, pepper, and garlic.

What I found was a very simple, easy, AND healthy recipe for baked balsamic chicken and veggies. Now, you can bake everything on the same pan, lined with parchment paper, OR you can bake your veggies and chicken separately. Before I left for my boxing class last night, I marinated my chicken, so that I could just pop it in the oven when I got home.

The marinade is very simple. All you will need is 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of avocado oil (or regular olive oil), salt, pepper, freshly minced garlic (or garlic powder). You can also add parsley or thyme to give it more of an earthy taste. Whisk all of your ingredients together, and pour about 1/3-1/2 of the marinade into a zip lock bag with your chicken breasts. I let it sit in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop up your veggies (in my case, I only used brussel sprouts). You can add carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, etc.! I placed my chopped brussel sprouts into a small glass pan, seasoned with some salt and pepper, and added the remaining marinade to them, and popped them in the oven to start cooking. I then transferred my marinated chicken into a separate glass pan, and placed in the oven. I like to use thin cut chicken breasts because they take less time to cook. I baked the chicken for about 30 minutes, flipping it every 10-15 minutes. I like my brussel sprouts a bit more well done, so I decided to leave them in for 45 minutes. The marinade did not make them crispy, but they still came out the way I would've wanted them to!

This is a very light and enjoyable meal. I recommend making this during the week if you don't have enough time to prepare dinner, or your lunch for the week.

Enjoy!