Dinner tonight.

Joe isn't coming home from work today because he's going to the Mariners home opener tonight (lame I know) so I decided to cook foods that Joe hates, to spite him! Just joking...Joe hates anything healthy so it was refreshing to not have to have meat and fat.

I am such a lazy cook, I really don't like to cook but I love to eat, it's really a problem in my life! :-)

I microwaved a sweet potato: wrap in paper towel, poke holes, microwave 5 minutes, flip, microwave 5 more minutes, and top with cinnamon (or whatever you want)

I boiled asparagus

Microwaved some organic butternut squash soup, added asparagus, and topped with parmesan cheese.

Easy Smeasy.

Baked Stuffed Avacado

I loved my lunch today! Super healthy and fast!

Two avacados 
One can chicken or tuna
Dash of powdered onion and garlic

Mix all ingredients and fill in avocado shells

Bake for 10 min at 375°

I topped with green salsa, hot sauce, and cilantro. Delish!

Patience is probably my biggest weakness, ask anyone that knows me...

Hi! Here are some motivation quotes that helped me today:

(except maybe Beth)

 

Went for a pathetic run today, I would have had a better run if I had more time to workout. Ellie has been a grump lately so I didn't want Joe to have to deal with all three of the kiddos all by himself. 

I'm really upset that I lost my starting measurements!! I know I have lost at least 4 inches in 3 weeks. I actually started clean eating and working out 5 weeks ago and I wish I would have taken measurements then, I'm glad I at least have before pictures! Tuesday we will take new measurement,  I'm hoping these next 4 weeks I can really drop the inches and gain strength! 

Also, I'm wondering when I will look like this, I guess I need to re-read my patience quote.

 

 

Food for thought

Tracy Anderson' philosophy on food and beauty resonate with me, and help me stay a little more sane about this whole process (I'm a perfectionist and carry around a lot of high expectations coupled with severe self hatred when I fall short). She was interviewed by the website The New Potato, and this was my favorite bit:

Three pieces of advice to those looking to change their health habits…

1.  We are emotionally programmed from an early age to love certain foods and the emotional stress of depriving yourself of these foods can be damaging.  So my advice would be to not completely deprive yourself of foods that you know you love. Know your body and understand which foods may cause you sensitivity or chronic inflammation.  Take that information and feed your body right.

2.  You have to move your body. I think you should move it smartly and strategically from a fitness perspective to set yourself up for fun and games, like a game of football in the yard or a good tennis match.

3.  Eat and drink all organic. Period!

I think we make food our adversaries too often, and make life (and weight loss/fitness) more difficult in the process. By taking a gentler approach, realizing this is a long term change and a gradual process, we can make the changes we want in a lasting, healthy way.

Lately when I've had an emotional craving, I've been trying to own the emotion, and make better decisions. If I want a cookie, I want to be able to enjoy it, not eat out of guilt or emotion, or stress. So that is what I'm practicing.

I'm less obsessed with organics than she is (there is a fantastic Healthcare triage video on YouTube explaining why) but I'm all for whole, freshly grown foods.

You can read her full interview here

Hey everyone! I'm thrilled to be part of this health/lifestyle blog with Beth and Mandy! As you can tell from Mandy's post, they are fantastic girls--so much fun.

I'm the mom of three boys, so prioritizing my health has been a struggle. I have difficult pregnancies, and difficult recoveries, and my body has really taken a toll. I'm constantly under-slept, which makes wanting to work out hard! I've had some baby blues as well, which definitely makes me turn to "comfort food," a habit that I'm trying to change. For me comfort food=chocolate, and I think it is a difficult problem to find moderation. Because who honestly wants to live in a world without flavor? It's all about balance.

So those are my big weaknesses: emotional eating, lack of consistent, focused exercise. My goals? I believe strongly in focusing on what our bodies can do, rather than how others see us. The whole vanity part of the fitness industry plays crazy mind games with me, and ultimately discourages me when I don't look like I think I should after putting in hard work. So my goals are going to be performance based. My husband's work schedule becomes much lighter in about a week, so I'll be starting p90x with him. My first goal is to finish the 90 day program with him. A longer term goal is to run a 5k with "my girls" Mandy and Beth at the end of the summer. I haven't run competitively since high school and I completely gave up running about ten years ago after being diagnosed with arthritis. But I think it's time to get over my fears and DO something fun. I'm also a huge Tracy Anderson fan--so I'll blog about the different programs I try from time to time.

My inspiration. And I plan on using the heck out of my body! 

So lastly, here's my go-to lunch. It's quick, delicious, and vegan.

I picked these up at Winco, but I know Costco sells the red pepper & tomato under the Kirkland brand. There is also a red lentil soup that is amazing as well. Organic, vegan, and so good for you. I'll warm up a cup of this with a couple pieces of whole grain bread and maybe some baby spinach.

Here's a recipe that our family loves for breakfast. This comes from the Vegan Dad blog, which is a great resource for Vegan food that tastes good, and is kid friendly: (his recipe is for waffles, but I made it up into blueberry pancakes this night)

Vegan Dad Pancakes

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 2/3 cup rice milk (I used soy but you could use any nut milk)
- 1/3 cup oil

METHOD
1. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. Mix liquid ingredients and flax seed in a small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Let batter sit for 5 mins to let the flax seed absorb some liquid.
3. Cook according to whatever waffle iron you are using. I oil the iron down with a pastry brush, and use 1/4 cup of batter per waffle square.

Hi! I'm Beth and I'm a newby to this whole mommy thing :)

Hi guys!!  I am excited to start this healthy lifestyle blog with these wonderful ladies. Health and fitness have always been a big part of my life. "It's just something you do right?" That's what I thought (although I will admit I was a sugar aholic I was that person that would workout and be eating skittles or jelly beans that were in my pocket at the same time). So lately my focus has been learning to cut out sugar and to make better choices.

Let me talk about pregnancy for a minute and why I am so thankful to have a group of mommies that I can be real with. I have one child, he's 3.5 months and the cutest little monster around. Before being pregnant I was confident felt good about myself and was able to push myself because I knew the results I would get if I did. I loved my passion for fitness it was my life and what kept me being me. Pregnancy was rough. It took a toll on me mental, I started to get insecure, I was suddenly seeing my body change drastically, and over all I felt like I was being dewomanized (it's not a word but you get my drift). I still worked and did what I could though through my pregnancy until I no longer could. After baby was born I was in shock. I weighed more after my pregnancy than I did right before I gave birth. I felt depressed and was beyond insecure about myself. This is why having friends or seeing people go through the same thing and bounce back is so motivating.

I had a goal before I got pregnant and now that I had baby I want it more than ever, but for now my goal is to be strong, be healthy, and be HAPPY! So, I'm excited to post workout clips, exercises, and motivating tid bits I find (I'm new at this whole blogging thing though so bare with me while I figure this out :)) hope you all enjoy this and I am so thankful to have some AMAZING experienced mommies by my side through this! You ladies rock my socks!!

It's Me Candy Mandy....mmmmm candy..and here is my first post!

Mandy here!!!! 

I'm so excited to share this blog with Alicia and Beth! I think it will be such a great source for motivation and recipes for a healthy and happy lifestyle! 

Bethany is my personal trainer that I don't pay (ha!). Before I got pregnant with Ellie she would show up unannounced and demand that I go on walks with her. I honestly don't think I would have lost the weight if it wasn't for her! I remember loosing 30lbs in one month back then, loosing weight was so easy for me. All I did was walk and eat healthy and the pounds just melted off. I don't know if it's because I'm older now but the weight is not coming off! I have to actually run and eat extremely healthy for weeks to see one pound lost. ugh :/ 

Alicia has always been my motivation in life. She has such a kind and giving heart and her body always looks good! I love her vegan cooking. she has the best recipes and I know I will use ton's of them on this "journey to fit" I am taking. She is my "peace keeper, hippie sister" ha ha yoga, vegan, and women's rights! I wish I was more like you Alicia!

Beth and Alicia are my perfect team because I need Beth's crazy intense workouts and Alicia's recipes and support to help me succeed. 

I have been eating clean and working out daily for a month now and little by little I'm noticing a change. Do I wish It would happen faster? of course. but I know I need to be patient and I will see the results I'm trying my  hardest to achieve. 

I thought it would be good to share a couple of my meals that I have been eating, I'm a lazy cook, I try to eat as healthy as I can as fast as I can make it. 

Here are my banana pancakes:

one smashed banana (not blended)

two eggs 

mix!

I use coconut oil spray but I guess you can use any non-stick spray

These guys are pretty hard to master at first because they break easy. I pour a small to medium size batter on the pan (small enough for your spatula to flip it easily), wait a couple minutes for it to brown then flip. I usually can only make one pancake at a time so this actually takes me around 15 to 20 min to make.

I top these yummies with organic peanut butter, fruit (any fruit works), and drizzle a little honey on top. I did add cinnamon to the batter one time and it was just as good. These are great because you can use any ingredient you want, just try to make them simple "clean' ingredients. : )

I buy these chipotle black bean burgers all the time! They are 7g fat and a whopping 17g protein! I use them as a meat substitute to put in burritos or I usually just cook one in the microwave for two minutes, chop up, top with lettuce, avocado, cilantro, and any other veggies.

I also love to mix these with coos coos and hot sauce.

If I want a quick breakfast I mix Greek yogurt with some granola mix I got from Costco (I love Costco). I also have a small shot of odwalla super food drink to give me some energy in the morning.

For dinners I love to have anything with chicken and veggies. I am hoping to cut out all meat from my diet but its hard for me not to eat chicken and turkey. I cut out beef and pork over a year ago, I just don't like the meat and I really don't like how that meat was killed, anyways that's a conversation Alicia would do better talking about!





Lets talk about my goals, I want to be a runner. I just want to go for a 5 mile run and not die. Doing a half marathon would be an amazing, I will do one someday.

I want to be in the 130's. my personal trainer (Beth) tells me not to focus on numbers so I agreed that I want to fit in size 4/6 jeans. Not too much to ask right?

I cant't wait for us to look like this on August 10th, 2014. YOU should do it with us!

I am really proud of myself, I usually crack and give up after a week. 4 weeks and I not giving up anytime soon.