Goal 1: Exceeded!

Well I did it! I have exceeded my first goal of walking a mile 4 times a week. I finished my last walk this morning. I really did not feel like going this morning, but talking to a good friend while I walked helped get me through it! You would think that it would get easier, but this last week has been so tough! Even yesterday, the dogs were pulling me almost the entire walk! I think my body is starting to fight me because I really am trying to change, and right now, it doesn't like it. I think if I can keep pushing through, I will start to see results. I have to say, I thought I would be more excited about completing this goal, but I just felt kinda "meh" about it. I think it's because the scale isn't really going down yet. People say when you start working out you build muscle right? Let's hope that is what is happening. I do feel like the appearance of my body is changing, so I'm not completely discouraged! Here was my view during our walk yesterday!

I say I have exceeded my goal because in addition to walking I have also been going to Camp Gladiator which was not planned when I set my original goal. Camp Gladiator has pushed me beyond my comfort zone in many ways, physically and emotionally. Overall I think it's been a good experience, and I still have 2 weeks left of the free camp. I really like the trainer, and the people that go have become really encouraging. Yeah, I'm still last in everything we do, but I'm trying, and everyone sees that. We had to do broad jump thing this past week. You basically jump as far as you can, and you keep jumping from one point to another. Now, gravity I can't decide if gravity is my enemy or my bestie.. b/c I don't leave the ground without a lot of effort. So here I am jumping beside this guy that can get across the space in 3 jumps, while it takes me about 20. He was going to so much faster than me! At one point I looked over at him, and I said "well, I'm glad you're making me look so good!" He laughed and said "as long as you're moving.. everyone starts somewhere." So true! So I just kept trying to jump my tiny jumps, and I was happy that I was moving. Tiny update about Camp Gladiator - +Jimmy Ho and I now put our mats together. I don't feel like I need to be away from him to focus on myself. Even though he is beside me, I am still focusing on me, and I don't mind if he sees me struggle. We have even been partners for some of the activities, and I feel okay about it. Having him there has been good, and I don't treat him like a crutch.

I have now been working at home for 6 weeks. Crazy right?! Since I've been working at home, we eat at home SO much more!! It seems like we only eat out once, maybe twice a week. We have been cooking a lot, and through my +Vitamix experimentation, things have not gotten boring. Last night we made a different pasta sauce. We used this vitamix recipe.

We added 3 cloves of garlic instead of 1 because we really like it, but other than that we followed the recipe exactly. I'm not sure that I would advise trying this one in a blender because the finished product is really thick like a paste, and I'm not sure it would work well in a blender. A food processor might work though! Some things you can't see about the instructions are to first microwave the balsamic vinegar and the shallot for 1 minute. Then put everything except the EVOO into the container, mix everything up, and then add the EVOO while mixing.

We also added some ground turkey, but that isn't in the pic. We used the Smart Taste Noodles. This sauce was SO flavorful!! It tasted like something you may get in a restaurant. The vinegar added a bite, so you'll have to play with the recipe and adjust it to your liking. I think next time we are going to make this sauce,  we will add some fresh tomatoes to make it saucier, simmer it, and add some chunks of tomatoes and onion.

Because I'd like to see more progress, from April 1st - until we go out of town at the end of April, I'm going to be cutting out all white starches, processed sugars, cheese, and alcohol. Sad right?! I've done this a few times, and I always feel better.. so here goes! I've been trying to decide on an exercise goal for the month of April, and I just don't know what to do. I don't want to get bored, but I need to keep moving. I still have 2 weeks of Camp Gladiator, but what else should I do? Keep walking? Anything else? I saw a news report the other night talking about exercising for your blood type. I wasn't paying too much attention, but they said Type A's should do things like yoga and tai chi because we carry a lot of lactic acid in our muscles. So I've been thinking about adding in yoga once or twice a week. AT HOME. It is one thing to go grunt at Camp Gladiator when everyone else is grunting. But I can't imagine going into a quiet yoga studio and being the only one grunting and squealing (yeah.. I felt pig sounds were appropriate.) Anyway.. just a though. Here's the latest pic of me!

Hope you all have a happy Easter!!

Bad Day

+Jimmy Ho  and I cooked dinner together on Friday night, and it was so much fun. We both really love food, and you might say we love each other so combining the two was great. Most of the time it is one or the other cooking. But spending time chopping, cooking, and talking while making a healthy meal was something special. We really enjoyed it, and since then we have cooked together twice since then. I think it is going to become at least a weekly thing.

The first thing we made together was a healthy version of General Tso's Chicken. We used this Rachael Ray recipe, and it was so easy to follow and turned out really well. Now most of you know that I'm not a big fan of Rachael Ray, but I'm going to blame that on the fact that Jimmy may have a celebrity crush on her, and nothing really to do with her. Who can blame him? What man wouldn't want a woman that can cook! And, if anything was ever going to happen between the two of them, it probably would have happened at her sxsw party. Not to mention that I am totally awesome, and I'm learning to cook. Watch out, Rachael Ray!

Monday mornings are always hard no matter where you work or what you do. I tried to help Monday stink a little less by getting breakfast ready on Sunday night. I found a recipe for slow cooker oatmeal that cooks overnight. You simply cut up 2 apples peeled, cored, and chopped, and coat them with 1/3 cup brown sugar and 2 tsp. Place the apples first in the slow cooker.

Next you add 2 cups of old fashioned oats, 4 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt (all mixed together) on top of the apples. Do not mix. Simply cook on low overnight for 8 - 9 hours.

The flavor was pretty good, but we both thought it could use more oatmeal. I blame that on myself. I put it in the crock-pot about 8:30 p.m., and we did not turn it on until 10:30. So the oatmeal had been sitting in water for 2 hours before heat was turned on. Then, it cooked from 10:30 p.m. - 8:00 a.m. which was longer than direct. I think the mushy oatmeal was totally my fault and will try to tweak this recipe.

Sunday night Jimmy and I also made dinner together. We made our ground turkey tacos since we both love tacos so much. This time we used corn tortillas, sprayed them with a little OVOO, and hung them over the rack in out toaster oven so that they baked into taco shapes! While the tacos were fun, I was more excited about the rice I made. I made Mexican rice! I used brown rice to make it healthier. I followed this recipe, and we really liked it! It was a tad salty FYI. So next time we will probably reduce the salt by half and maybe use real garlic instead of the garlic salt.

Last night was Meatless Monday, and Jimmy and I tried to recreate one of the entrees we had on Chinese New Year. It was a lemongrass tofu string bean stirfy. I think we did pretty well for our first attempt. We used onion, garlic, lemongrass, chili paste, onion, soy sauce, ginger, tofu, and string beans. This was our first time to buy and use lemongrass at home. It is very interesting because it seems like a cross between celery and a scallion. There is an outer husk you removed, and then slice it up like a scallion. You then have to beat it a little (with the back of your knife or a mallet) to release the flavor. Don't be surprised when you use it that it is tougher than you would expect to cut, even after removing the husk! Don't get intimidated. I'm learning to become less intimidated by food as I cook more and more. If you mess something up, chances are you have things on hand to make a sandwich, and you aren't going to starve. Here are pics of the process and the final product. The first pic has the lemongrass and string beans!

 
This weekend I spent my Saturday with one of my closest friends, +Chris Atkins. It was a special day because the Saturdays I get to spend with him are winding down. Chris is about to leave on a year round trip around the world. While I am very sad he is leaving, I'm very excited and happy for him to experience something so amazing. Chris is leaving on May 8th.. which just happens to be my birthday... bittersweet. We had a great time and spent practically the entire day outside just talking. Yay for fun days with great friends. Here is a picture of the pretty latte I got when we met for coffee.

Speaking of good friends, I wanted to thank all of my friends and family that are reading my blog. So many of you have reached out to me via text, email, or comments you leave here and said some really nice things. I appreciate everything each of you have said, and it gives me motivation to keep trying.

The reason this blog is called bad day is because I am having a bad day. I just haven't felt great all day. It may have something to do with eating some cookies yesterday that I shouldn't have, but I feel pretty terrible. That has snowballed into feeling guilty because I did not go to Camp Gladiator tonight. I should be there right now. Right this second, and I'm not. I feel guilty about it. But, I'm telling you all so that I'm held accountable. This is tough! Even though I am having a tough day today, I am not giving up. I have been sticking to my goal and walking a mile 4 times a week for the first 3 weeks of March plus going to Camp Gladiator. I am not giving up now. I did go walk yesterday. I have to walk 3 more times this week to have not only completed, but exceeded my original goal. Also, I will be back at Camp Gladiator on Thursday, and I may try to go this weekend to make up for tonight. I can do it!!!!

New Salsa!

Today I made Roasted Tomatillo Salsa! I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. Used about 1 1/2 pounds of tomatillos, 5 serrano peppers, about 1/2 an onion, 3/4 cup cilantro, and 4 cloves of garlic (the recipe also called for 2 tsp salt, but I forgot to add that and didn't miss it.)

So you pull off the husk of the tomatillos and rinse them (they're sticky.. it's weird). You put the tomatillos, serranos, and unpeeled garlic on a pan. You broil them about 1 - 2 inches away from the heat source for 7 minutes or until the tomatillos are warm and a little squishy. Flip them over once within the 7 minutes. Here are my before and after pics. I put the tomatillos upside down first since I was going to flip them. 

So the you chop off the top of the peppers and peel the garlic. I got my cilantro and onion ready, and I threw everything into the +Vitamix!

And voila! Roasted Tomatillo Salsa! Isn't it pretty?!

 
One thing I will say is, I like some spice. But holy cow, 5 serranos was too many for me! I think I'd stick with 3, but that is my preference. +Jimmy Ho did not think it was all that spicy. Another thing, because you are roasting the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic, after blending, the salsa will be WARM. So, if you want cold salsa, make it ahead of time so you can cool it in the fridge. It was good warm, but I think it would be better, and we would prefer it to be cold. We have already thought of things to do with this salsa like mixing it with sour cream (or Fage Greek Yogurt to be healthy) to make an enchilada sauce. Jimmy also wants to use the salsa to make migas. Endless possibilities!

I made another smoothie yesterday. This one had strawberries, an orange, a banana, and baby spinach. I've found I prefer baby spinach in smoothies. I still get nutrition, but the taste is not as overwhelming as the big leaf spinach.

Yesterday was my first day back at Camp Gladiator, and something weird happened. All day Monday I was DREADING going. The last time was really tough for me because I felt like I was holding my partner back. That black cloud kind of stayed over me. But yesterday, I was actually looking forward to going, and looking forward to working out. WEIRD, right?! I still DO NOT love it. I still totally hate it, but I wanted to go. I did get my butt kicked. I can hardly move today, but I did go walk my mile! We are going back to Camp Gladiator tomorrow, and I'm not dreading it (as of right now).

My next post will be about a healthy version of General Tso's Chicken that I'm going to make on Friday! Have a great rest of the week! 

And sometimes life happens....

Oh my goodness! Unless you don't pay much attention to music, you've probably heard of South By Southwest (sxsw), a huge interactive, film, and music conference in Austin every Spring. The last time I went was in 2004 before it became really popular. Jimmy went to a few shows last year, but the idea of parking forever away, walking long distances, standing in line for hours, and standing during endless concerts did not appeal to my lazy completely out of shape self.

In the past when we would go to concerts that required me to stand the whole time, I would be miserable because my feet would hurt (even though I was wearing tennis shoes) and I could not stand being in a huge crowd. I would get dizzy and have to leave my friends to go stand in the back or on the side or try to find a place to sit down.

This year, Jimmy really wanted to do sxsw. He RSVPed for us to several parties so that we would have options. For sxsw you can buy wristbands for $160, or a badge that can get you into practically everything for $795 (I know!). But, there are TONS of free shows and things to do. All of the parties and shows Jimmy RSVPed to were free.

I was nervous that I would not be good company for Jimmy, because it would be hard on me. We parked in my work garage downtown, and we used a Smart Car (those tiny 2 door cars) that are part of a Car 2 Go program that you basically rent and drove down to 2 blocks away from the party. It was awesome!

The first day, we went to the Paste Party. We got there early and were pretty close to the front of the line, but we had to wait in line for 2 hours for the doors to open. I was really surprised because my feet did not hurt at all! Because we were so close to the front, we got to grab a table that was close to outside so we could hear inside and outside bands. They also had free beer for the first few hours. A couple of our friends were at that party with us, and it was a lot of fun.

The next day, we had to get up really early because the Rachel Ray party started at 10. We got there a little after 8, and the line was already soooo long! I was really surprised to see friends in line so we got to hang out with them! That line again was 2 hours. Then we get inside, and it is SO crowded. We went in and went straight to the line to wait for free food (yes!), but we were in that line for 3 hours!!!!! Sounds terrible, but it wasn't because there was also free beer, and we could see/hear both stages where bands were performing. Also in such close quarters, you make a lot of interesting friends. Check out the pic of the guy that shaved a shamrock into his face. Ah.. I love Austin. We stayed at that part until 4, and I was on my feet until about 2:30.

I was really proud of myself for being on my feet and completely crowded for so long, but I was okay, and I really had a great time. Now I know I can do it! And if I can handle sxsw, I can totally do ACL bc you can take chairs and blankets! ACL is definitely not free though. BTW - we spent a total of $10 for both days.

The music was fun. The most exciting person we saw was Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on Saturday. I tried SO hard to go see Justin Timberlake on Saturday night, but I could not get tickets, and I may have cried a little.

So I had too much beer, and not the best foods this weekend, but I did my mile walks Monday - Thursday, and I was on my feet a ton this weekend. Life happens. I can't always eat as healthy as I want, and I like to have drinks with my friends! The difference now is that 1 or 2 days of bad eating does not mean that I'm done. It means I get back on the wagon. Camp Gladiator starts again tomorrow night, and I'm going to try to get stronger!

Such a fun weekend! Check out my pics!

Been Busy!

The last two days I've kept myself very busy! I've made a couple of great things!

I wanted to make my own granola, which I haven't done yet, but yesterday I decided I would surprise +Jimmy Ho by making him some homemade oatmeal raisin granola bars! I used the recipe on this website. It was super easy, and they turned out so well! Jimmy was surprised, and he really likes them!

Jimmy wanted me to put up a picture of what we had for dinner last night. It was Meatless Monday so we had tofu/veggie stir fry with brown rice and quinoa. We have a lot of veggie/tofu stir fry. I'm excited that I'm starting to cook so much more. I'm seeing other people's blogs and finding lots of vegetarian/vegan recipes that I can try!

This morning I finally made those paleo pancakes!! I was really excited to try them because who doesn't like pancakes?! If I could find a healthy version of pancakes, I would be sooo excited! Okay so here's the deal. You use 1 banana, mash it up, mix in 2 eggs, and throw in some cinnamon. You then cook them over medium low heat just like a pancake. They turned out pretty well, but they will definitely take some getting used to. They had the consistency of an egg and banana bread all at the same time. I know that sounds crazy, but if you make it, you will totally understand what I am saying.

 

 

Tonight I used my +Vitamix to make enchilada sauce for enchiladas! I used the Vitamix enchilada sauce recipe. I did not have as much chili powder as it called for, and I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. Not going to lie, I thought this recipe was a fail! The color was not red as in the Vitamix picture. The sauce was more like a tan color. I would call what I made more of an enchilada gravy than a sauce. 

I browned turkey meat with onions and then threw in a little cilantro and taco seasoning. I also threw in a little of the enchilada sauce. A cool tip I found online is to spray corn tortillas with oil (I used EVOO), and bake them in the oven at 500 degrees for 7 minutes. This made the corn tortillas pliable and strong! I think put the meat mixture in the corn tortillas, rolled them up, and poured on more enchilada sauce. I put a lot of cheese on Jimmy's, but since I'm lactose sensitive, I did not put cheese on my enchiladas. I put the enchiladas in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. 

It actually turned out REALLY good, and I would make it again. When I was cooking I was so happy. I'm really starting to enjoy cooking! And I can't say enough how much I love my Vitamix.


I have been keeping up with my walking! Yesterday I walked a little over a mile, and today I walked a mile as well. Today I asked the dogs if they wanted to go with me, and they got so excited I could hardly get them to sit still for a pre-walk picture. As you can see, I did not have that problem with the post-walk picture. Haha.. I love them so much!

There is no Camp Gladiator this week since it is the off week, but I did do a few of the exercises today just keep my muscles going. They're still hard! Okay.. longest blog ever. Have a great week!!