21 Day Fix - Day 2

Today's Workout: Upper Fix

I'll be honest, I could barely get out of bed today because I was that sore from yesterday's workout.  It was so bad I actually used the elevator at work to go downstairs this morning. I would have taken it back up had there not be a person in the lobby.  

But that's to be expected when starting any new workout program. I've personally found it takes about a week for the soreness to go away, so as much as it sucks you have to push yourself past that uncomfortable feeling.

I woke up 20 minutes late this morning and was worried I wouldn't have enough time to do my workout until I remembered it's only 30 minutes long.  

As I approached the 21 Day Fix DVD set I was happy to see the workout was called "Upper Fix" and not "Lower Fix" because my legs were killing me.  You're supposed to have a set of light weights and heavy weights, but I didn't know that until I started so I just used my 5 pounders.  I had the option to use a resistance band or no weights at all, but felt I wouldn't get as good of a workout.  That's one of things I love most about the workouts, there are plenty of ways to modify the exercises and there's a "modifier" in the workout that shows you HOW to properly modify each one.  Overall, I felt like I got a great workout today and am excited to try the others.

Today's Food

Mango/Pineapple Shakeology

 






1 red and 1 purple container

A Small Fuji Apple

1 purple container

Salad w/ Chicken & Asian Vinaigrette

2 green + 1 red + 1 orange















Also for lunch...

Baked Sweet Potato

1 yellow container

Hard Boiled Eggs

1 red container

Beef w/ Veggies, Black Beans, Cheese, & Hot Sauce

1 red + 1 yellow + 1 green + 1 blue












Day 2 done!  Only 19 more to go!

21 Day Fix - Day 1

I've been so excited to start this program, but have been putting it off for months.  Why you ask?  Because it involves change and dedication. Unfortunately those are not my strongest attributes.  By starting this program I would have to change the way I eat.  I'd have to be dedicated to working out consistently and I haven't been able to commit to that until now. The mind is incredibly powerful and it's taken 2 months of self-talk to work up the courage to do this program.  Hey, there's no time like the present.

Here's how it works: 

1. You figure out your calorie level.

2. Find the calorie chart that corresponds with your calorie level.

3. Look at the container food groups that correspond with each color. 

4. Spread your containers throughout the day.

5. Do your daily workout.

Oh, and did I mention it's only for 21 days?  As my dad says "You can do anything for X (<--insert # here) amount of days."  And funny enough, Autumn Calabrese (the trainer of this program) said something similar in my workout today "You can do anything for 60 seconds."  Nice to know my dad and personal trainer are on the same page.

Week 1 Meal Plan

Another reason I was avoiding this program like the plague is because you have to plan your meals.  Sounds easy right?  WRONG!  Meal planning and I have a love-hate relationship.  I love knowing what I'm going to cook for the week and going to the grocery store once, but I hate the amount of time it takes to figure out what I'm going to eat for the entire week, go shopping, and prep my food.  Today's a prime example: I spent 6-1/2 hours of my wonderful holiday, shopping, washing, cutting, chopping, cooking, and portioning out my food.  BUT, I don't have to do much the rest of the week except throw it all together.  

Here's my meal plan for the week:

I'm heading out of town on Thursday which makes things challenging, but I'm going to prep most of my food in advance and will try to make healthy choices when we go out.

Workout Today: Total Body Cardio Fix

I don't mean to brag (okay, maybe I do), but I've done Insanity.  Not once, but twice, and that workout program definitely lives up to its name!  Shaun T (the trainer) is a MACHINE and the workouts are intense.  Knowing this, I went into today's workout thinking I may break a sweat.  First of all, who's this Autumn chick and secondly, this workout is only 30 min.  How hard can it be?  Sweet baby Jesus, It kicked my ass!  I didn't realize I'd have to use weights for almost the entire workout and was breaking a sweat after the first set of moves.  I could barely walk afterward; you know, the feeling when your legs feel like noodles?  That was me.  Glad it was only 30 minutes because I'm not sure I would have made it much longer.

Post workout hair

Breakfast

Strawberry Shakeology with water and mixed fruit.  I was a little concerned using water with my Shakeo instead of juice or almond milk like I normally do, but it tasted great!  Score!

Filled the purple container with fruit

1 scoop of Shakeology equals one of my red container servings.  The purple container is a fruit serving and I love adding it to my Shakeo because I am terrible at eating fruit.  Quick, easy, and filling.

Having a simple breakfast worked out well since I needed to get to the store ASAP to buy my lunch and other groceries for the week.

Snack 1

It was supposed to be an apple, but I didn't get around to eating it because I was out shopping.  The good news, I can eat it later if I get hungry.

Lunch

I was pretty skeptical about how filling lunch would be when looking at the three containers side by side...

1 yellow, 1 red, & 1 green

but to my surprise it damn near filled my entire plate!

I was also worried about my choice in the yellow container; sweet potato. I've never been a fan of sweet potatoes unless they're in "fry" form, but that wasn't the case.  I've also never baked a sweet potato (pathetic, I know), but figured it had to be similar to cooking a regular potato which it was.  I washed and dried it, stabbed it to death with a fork, wrapped it in foil, and baked it for an hour at 375 degrees.  Once it was out of the oven and cooled off, I peeled the skin off and mashed it up.  Pretty easy.

3 containers & a pretty full plate

As for the green container, I filled it up a quarter of the way with chopped onion and filled the rest with bell peppers.  Then I sauteed them in 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Once the veggies were cooked, I set them to the side and cooked two very small pieces pork which ultimately filled up my red container.  Lastly, I sprinkled everything with the All-Purpose Seasoning recipe from the 21 Day Fix eating plan. Wait, I lied...I added some hot sauce to the pork/veggie mix for a little extra kick!

Snack 2

I ate lunch pretty late, so I ended up eating one hard boiled egg instead of two.  I know how to make the perfect hard boiled egg, but haven't mastered how to peel it without tearing half the egg white off.  I got better by egg 6, but there's room for improvement.

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Here's how to make the perfect hard boiled egg:

• Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan.  Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by at least 1 inch.  
• Bring the water to a rapid boil over high heat.
• Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 15 min.
• Drain the hot water then fill with cold water and ice cubes.
• Once  the eggs have cooled, gently tap one on the countertop, then softly roll it.
• Carefully peel off the eggshell then rinse any small pieces off.

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Dinner

By the time I got around to cooking dinner I wasn't even hungry.  Mostly due to the fact that I'd spent the last five hours cooking and prepping meals for the rest of the week.  Luckily, I had some leftover sweet potato from lunch so at least I didn't have to cook that.  I baked a large chicken breast and only needed about half of it to fill my red container.  Then I filled two green containers with yellow squash, mushrooms, and onion.  I sauteed the veggies in 1 teaspoon of EVOO.  Once the veggies were done I tossed them with the chicken.  Then I filled my orange container with green olives, sliced them, and threw them on top.  At that point, I was so ready to be done cooking I forgot my mozzarella cheese!  How is that even possible?  It crossed my mind to fill up my blue container with cheese and eat it straight up, but I resisted the urge.

Siracha on the side

And there you have it!  Day 1 of the 21 Day Fix.  My biggest regret is that I didn't do my grocery shopping and food prepping over the weekend.  Other than that, I'd say today was a success!

For those of you who've done the 21 Day Fix please feel free to share your favorite recipes!  

21 Day Fix

Several people have reached out to me wanting to know more about a new program Beachbody released called 21 Day Fix.  Simply put it's a fitness AND nutrition program.  The motto for this program is "Simple Fitness. Simple Eating. Fast Results." 

Here's the breakdown:

There are 7 colored-coded containers (i.e. fruits, veggies, protein, etc...) which teach you how to create healthy portions.  I know you're looking at the picture below with six containers thinking I don't know how to count, but you get 2 of the orange containers.  In addition to the food containers you also get a Shakeology shaker cup.  The best part is there's no counting calories, points, or tracking your food.  You're not required to follow specific recipes or buy strange ingredients, so you can keep eating the foods you love!  

The workouts are only 30 minutes long and they are designed for any fitness level, so if you're a beginner just follow the modifier. 

If you haven't picked up on it already, the program start to finish, is 21 days. That.is.awesome!  Do you have a wedding or vacation coming up?  If so, this is perfect for shedding pounds quickly.

Most programs I did in the past focused primarily on workouts which is great, but if you're over-eating or not eating the proper foods your results will be less dramatic and less likely to last.  I know this from personal experience.  I've done Insanity several times and although I was happy with my results, I feel they would have been much better had I worked on my nutrition as well.

I honestly feel this program will change many lives, including my own.  I bought 21 Day Fix today and due to it's popularity, it's on back order until mid to late March.  I am doing a 21 Day Fix challenge group with a tentative start date of April 1st.  If you are interested in taking this short journey with me you can click this link to order.  Want some more info?  Comment below and I'll contact you.

Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips

Good nutrition starts with smart choices at the grocery store!  Cooking healthy meals can be challenging if you don't have the right ingredients in your kitchen.  Check out these simple tips to keep you on track while shopping.

Plan ahead.  To eat healthy, I've found it's ESSENTIAL to plan your meals for the week in advance.  It used to take me hours to plan an entire weeks' worth of meals until I came up with a base plan to narrow it down.  My base plan consists of at least:

1 fish recipe
1 crock pot recipe
1 clean eating recipe
1 chicken recipe
1 salad recipe
1 cheat meal

Since it's just me and my husband we almost always have leftovers so these six meals turn into ten or more meals.  From here all you have to do is fill in a couple meals and add your snacks.  DONE.

Create a shopping list.  It may take a few minutes, but it will prevent extra trips to the store for missing ingredients.  I highly suggest making a list that is grouped by: lean proteins and dairy, veggies and fruit, whole grains, and extras.  It will save time at the store so you're not going back and forth. 

LEAN PROTEINS & DAIRY	VEGGIES & FRUIT
EXTRAS	WHOLE GRAINS

Don't shop hungry.  People tend to make unhealthy impulse buys on empty stomachs, so make sure to eat a snack before you shop!

Choose organic.  I realize organic food can be expensive, but try to choose it when you can.  You get the same benefits with fewer pesticides. 

 

Shop the perimeter.  This is where produce, dairy, meat, and whole grains are located.  Try to avoid the center aisles where junk food lurks.

Produce: This is the section you should spend the most time in and the majority of your shopping cart should be filled with colorful fruits and veggies.

 

Whole Grains: Choose whole wheat bread and pasta.  You can start with whole wheat blends and slowly transition to 100% whole wheat.  I personally can't stand whole wheat pasta, so I buy multigrain pasta instead.  Other grain options include: quinoa, brown rice, and barley.

 

Lean Proteins: Fish, skinless poultry, and lean cuts of meat such as top sirloin and tenderloin are good choices.  Be sure to watch your portion sizes!  One chicken breast isn't necessarily one serving.

Dairy: Low-fat and nonfat are the best options.

 

Frozen Foods: Frozen fruits and veggies are better than canned.  Canned fruits and veggies tend to be packaged in salt, sugar, and preservatives for taste and longevity. 

 

Canned Foods: When buying canned foods look for low sodium options, low-fat soups, and tuna or salmon packed in WATER instead of oil.

 

Foods to Avoid: Try to avoid foods that contain more than 5 ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.



 

{Taste Test Tuesday} Chicken Parmesan w/ Pasta

My parents gave me a wonderful gift for Christmas!

I have been leaning towards "Healthy Eating" rather than "Clean Eating" because most of the clean recipes I've tried I haven't liked.  They lacked flavor and had little to no spices in them.  I'm sorry people, but you NEED salt and pepper to flavor a dish!  I pretty much gave up trying to find new clean recipes until I got this book.  It's filled with pictures, menu plans, shopping lists, cooking terms, a conversion table, etc... and guess what?  They put salt and pepper in their dishes!  Woo hoo! 

My first taste test meal out of this book is Chicken Parmesan with Pasta.  It has cheese, pasta, and several spices...that's my kind of meal! 

It did not disappoint.  I couldn't believe it was HEALTHY and CLEAN.  It tasted pretty damn similar to my version of Chicken Parmesan with Pasta minus a ton of calories.  If you're on the fence about clean eating like I was, I highly suggest giving this meal a try.  I did make a couple modifications to it:  I used multigrain pasta instead of whole wheat and I used a red bell pepper instead of a green.

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

•  Olive oil cooking spray
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
• 1 (28 oz.) jar crushed organic tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato paste or organic tomato paste
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese (I didn't have reduced-fat on hand so I used regular Parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 (4 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella or Italian cheese
• 8 oz. cooked multigrain or whole wheat penne
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. 

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft.  Add one teaspoon oregano and stir to coat. Cook 30 seconds, until oregano is fragrant.  Add tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, remaining teaspoon of oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper.  Mix to combine.  Taste for seasonings and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.  Brush both sides of each chicken breast with mustard.  Transfer each breast to panko mixture and turn to coat both sides.  Arrange chicken on prepared baking sheet.  Coat surface of chicken with cooking spray.  Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Top each chicken breast with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella or Italian cheese.  Return chicken to oven and bake 10 minutes more, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.

5. Arrange pasta on a serving plate and top with remaining tomato sauce and a little grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve chicken with pasta on the side, garnishing both with basil.  I also served steamed broccoli on the side.

Tip:  Make your Chicken Parm more golden in color by toasting the panko crumbs in a skillet over medium heat before making the dish.

Adapted from The Best of Clean Eating book

This recipe gets ☆☆☆☆  Share your favorite Clean Eating recipe with me!

 



Healthy Snack Ideas

I've been eating the same three or four snacks every day for the past several months and need to change it up!  I have several books with healthy snack ideas and compiled a list of the best!

• Shakeology
• Low-fat cottage cheese with berries
• Banana or apple with peanut butter
• Plain popcorn topped with a pinch of salt
• Tuna stuffed inside a multigrain pita
• Sliced veggies with hummus
• Multigrain bagel with low-fat cream cheese
• Unsalted almonds, cashews, etc...
• Baked sweet potato topped with nonfat Greek yogurt and chives
• Whole wheat pita with hummus, smoked salmon, and dill
• Sliced kiwi with nonfat strawberry yogurt for dipping
• Fruit skewers
• Strawberries topped with light cream cheese
• Celery topped with peanut butter and raisins
• Whole wheat toast topped with turkey and reduced-fat cheese
• Hardboiled egg mashed and scooped onto a romaine lettuce leaf
• Guacamole with sliced red peppers
• Whole grain English muffin with strawberry preserves
• Protein bar
• Reduced-fat string cheese

Fruit Skewers

What's your favorite snack?

{Taste Test Tuesday} Egg Frittata

It's about time I posted a breakfast recipe!  I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every single day, so I pushed myself outside my comfort zone to try something new.  My eyes locked on an Egg Frittata recipe I found in one of my workout nutritional guides.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon basil or oregano
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Whisk eggs with milk.  Add the spinach, basil or oregano, feta, & pepper.  Combine.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat an 8" by 8" casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour egg mixture into dish and bake for 20 minutes or until eggs are set.  (Top may remain moist)  Let stand for 5 minutes.

I love basil and the feta cheese really boosted the flavor in this, BUT it just didn't hit the spot for me.  It was too bland and needed something else to make it worth eating.  Perhaps some diced ham or turkey sausage?  Maybe even just some tomatoes and mushrooms.  I added Cholula to this thinking it would enhance the taste, but it had the opposite effect.  It competed with the feta cheese and I immediately regretted it.  As it is...I probably wouldn't make it again.  If I made some of the adjustments I listed above, I think it would be much better....maybe I will give it another try after all.  ☆☆

What Is Clean Eating?

When I started my fitness journey one of the things that continually came up was "Clean Eating."  I figured it just meant eating some more fruits and veggies, but there's a little more to it than that.

What is clean eating?

The core of eating clean is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible.  Most clean foods usually contain just one or two ingredients.  Eating clean is not a fad diet that promotes short-term weight loss.

1. Eat 5-6 times a day (3 meals and 2-3 small snacks) to keep your blood sugar stable and avoid overeating.

2. Drink your WATER!  A good rule thumb is to take your body weight and divide it by 2.  Drink that many ounces of water a day to stay properly hydrated.  (Example: 150 lbs. ÷ 2 = 75 oz. water)

3. Eat fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins instead of pre-packaged, processed, or fast food.  Choose organic or grass fed meats when possible and pick fruit over fruit juice.  If you have to buy processed vegetables, frozen is always better than canned.

4. Replace saturated fats with healthy fats.  You can reduce saturated fats by choosing lean meats and avoiding fast food.  Saturated fats: Butter, ice cream, and bacon.  Healthy fats: Olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish.