Spaghetti and Kelly.

 

Weigh-in

Another Friday has approached, another weigh in day for me.

Last Week’s Weight: 158.2lbs

This Week’s Weight: 157.4lbs

Difference of: –0.8lbs

Total Lost so far: 52.2lbs

Slow and steady wins the race right! A loss, is a loss, is a loss. I’m happy with it. :)

 Training

I did well sticking with my May Motivation schedule so far this week! Well, until this morning…I just could not get up. I tried really hard, but totally cashed in on another hour and 15 minutes of sleep.

I ran 4 miles yesterday, it was a slow moving 4 miles, I averaged 10:55/mi, but I was a little dehydrated and underestimated how warm it was outside and didn’t take water with me. At least I did it and that’s what counts!

High/Lows

Highs

• I had 4 really GREAT work outs this week.
• I had a weight loss.
• I spent quality time with my husband and my friends.
• Tonight I will get to celebrate a friend’s birthday and see some friends I haven’t seen in awhile!

Lows

• I had a chocolate problem this week. As in, I couldn’t get enough of it.
• I didn’t stick to my meal plan very well at all. I ate well, just not what was planned.
• Skipping my work out this morning. Even though I still kind of feel exhausted, I still feel a little guilty about skipping. Especially knowing I won’t have time to squeeze it in later today.

Cooking

I love spaghetti. I could eat my weight in it most likely if given the time and a large fork. To help fill me up so this doesn’t happen, I load my spaghetti sauce with lots of chopped vegetables. Here’s my recipe!

Tonyne’s Hearty Spaghetti (6 pts per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1 link Lean Italian sausage link, hot 
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1 cup canned tomato sauce  
1 cup asparagus, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped 
1/2 cup tomato, chopped  
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning  
2 cups cooked whole-wheat spaghetti

Instructions

Remove sausage from casing and brown with onion. Add vegetables, tomato sauce and seasoning. Cover and allow to simmer while pasta cooks.
Serve half of the sauce over half of the pasta, top lightly with parmesan cheese if desired.

You could easily leave the sausage out of this to make it vegetarian or change the meat to ground turkey or lean beef. You can also use your preference of veggies, this is just a quick way to make a wholesome, homemade sauce instead of the over processed jarred stuff. I at mine with some garlic bread and a little parmesan cheese!

Wrap it up Tonyne…

In totally unrelated news, I would like to wish my friend Kelly a very  Happy Birthday today! She is a dear friend and a huge source of support to me. Tonight we will be enjoying buckets of chicken and buckets of daiquiris on the beach in her honor! I am looking forward to it! So, Happy Birthday Kelly! Here’s to an amazing year!

That’s it for today I guess! Happy Weekends to those of you that have them!

The Spouse.

 

I was going to share my recipe for spaghetti today or talk about my workout schedule some more. I am doing really well this week, so far, I was going to write about that too. However, some recent discussions I’ve read in blog posts got me started in another direction.

The Spouse. Mr. Unlikely Success Story. Mr. Tonyne (he hates when I call him that, so I like to :) ). Jeff.

God’s gift to women? I’m not so sure…but he is a good man and I love him very much. My husband has an esophageal condition known as Barrett’s Esophagus. On top of this condition he also has esophageal strictures and a severe nut allergy. The nut allergy, is manageable, however the other two make it very hard for my husband to eat. Basically anything he eats has to be liquid by the time he swallows it or he can get choked. So, if you imagine doing that yourself…it’s difficult and nearly impossible with some foods. Because of this condition, my husband is underweight. Going out for dinner is next to impossible for him and he eats very, very slowly. He feels uncomfortable eating around people because of it.

If that isn’t enough (and trust me, it is!), my husband might quite possibly be the pickiest eater alive. I can’t tell you the number of times I make a Green Monster, asparagus or any vegetable other than broccoli to hear him say behind me “That’s nasty.” Has he tried most of this stuff? Probably not, but this is who he is and I knew that when I married him.

My recent lifestyle change has made meals almost impossible for us to share. He eats a lot of processed food because it’s convenient and quick since it takes him so long to eat. I cook him chicken and dumplings occasionally, but for the most part we eat separately. We also work different schedules, he runs a bar at night, I run a maintenance department in the day.

Our marriage is different that way. We are both very independent individuals. We love each other and try to make sure and put focus on the time we do have together, but when it comes to things like my races or successes, he’s not always around to share them with me. Most of the time, I’m alright with this…sometimes, I’m not. Do I feel jealous sometimes when I read about couples doing this together and fully supporting one another? Absolutely. I would never say Jeff is not supportive, because that’s not the case at all. He doesn’t flinch when I need new running shoes, a new healthy living gadget, cookbook, etc. He listens to me when I talk about a new recipe or training schedule.

He’s never visited this blog, he knows it exists of course, but how does a weight loss/healthy living/cooking blog interest him? I get it. Does it hurt sometimes? Yes. Do I want him at the finish line of my races. Yes. But I understand too. If I was limited and held back by a health condition, would I want to have someone’s health successes constantly in my face? Probably not. I feel bad sometimes because I am so excited about my new life and I talk about it incessantly, much to the chagrin of those around me I’m sure.

One of the points I wanted to make by putting myself out here so personally, which is really hard for me, is that the blogging community is such a fantastic source of support and encouragement for me. My friends and family are great as well, don’t get me wrong they listen to me drone on A LOT (Jeff included), but here I can talk about the changes I’ve made all I want. You can either choose to read about it or choose not to. I know that someone somewhere is waiting to hear my race recap or read my recipe from dinner last night. Not all of us have that super interested, living the same lifestyle spouse at home and that can be hard.

What it comes down to is we do this for ourselves, first and foremost. Yes we do it to be around longer for the people in our lives, but if you are making a lifestyle change you have to do it for YOURSELF. YOU are important and YOU are worth it.

Those of you out there that feel alone, like you don’t have a support system, you do. You have it right here. The Health & Wellness blogging community is made up of some of the kindest souls I’ve ever “met”. I am really happy to be a part of it.

I think that’s enough for today. I just want to tell you all again how much it means to me when you read and comment. I try to read and comment on as many blogs as possible because I know that the encouragement we get from our blogs or our online support system (whatever it might be) might be the only encouragement some of us get that day.

Tell me 1 thing the blogging community has given you, if you write a blog or not, just 1 thing.

Meatless Monday – Lemon Veggie Orzo

 

This is a very light, quick and easy dish. It will be a perfect dish to carry you through Spring and Summer and would be great for entertaining! I give you…

Lemon Veggie Orzo (4 pts per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked orzo  
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped  
1/2 cup asparagus, chopped   
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1/2 cup tomato, chopped  
1 tsp olive oil  
2 Tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese  
2 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled  
1 clove garlic minced  
7 oz vegetable broth

Instructions

Heat oil and some non-stick cooking spray in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in orzo and allow to brown while stirring for 2 minutes.

Add all other ingredients (except cheese) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to simmer until orzo absorbs all the liquid.

Serve topped with 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese.

I had 1 cup of Campbell’s Garden Broccoli Boxed Soup on the side. It’s not too bad for store bought soup and only 1 weight watcher point per serving.

Toasting the orzo before hand gives it a wonderful nutty flavor. The vegetables stay crisp too with tons of flavor from the lemon juice and garlic. I could easily eat 2 servings of this if I didn’t have the soup on the side!

I realized that I forgot to post my meal plan for the week! Sorry about that, obviously, this was Monday’s meal…

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage

Wednesday: Mexican Kiwi Tostadas

Thursday: Herb Parmesan Tilapia

Friday: My friend Kelly’s Buckets & Buckets birthday party on the beach…buckets of chicken and buckets of daiquiris.

I am still trying to make a decision about the 2 Sunday 5ks this month. I would really like to do the one on Sunday, but I’m not sure it’s realistic with my current weekend plans and the one on Mother’s day doesn’t really interest me to participate in. So, we’ll see what happens there. It might be one of those “morning of” registrations. Surprise, I just ran a 5k! Booyah!

Yesterday I had a great workout. I did 22 minutes on the Elliptical, 25 minutes of total body weight training and 10 minutes on the stationary bike. It was nice to have a focused workout that didn’t involve running…but, this morning, I run. And, I’m off! :)

May Motivation

 

Can you believe this week will deliver us the 1st of May? I can’t believe how quickly this year is flying by. The past week I was very lazy, flailing around, not really working out. So I decided that I would change all that with a May Motivation Work Out Schedule:

I am one of those people that tend to do better with a To Do list, or something to mark off. My training schedules for races hang on my fridge and as I complete each day I make a little note (minutes/mile, etc) and knowing that I get to do that everyday somehow makes me do it. I’m a little OCD. Not going to lie about it. Just because I’m not training for a race, doesn’t mean I can’t have a training schedule, because starting June 27th I will begin training for the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon with I have now officially registered for. I don’t want to get out of shape in the mean time. Alt Cardio means at least 20 minutes of cardio activity that is not running, I can walk, bike or use the elliptical.

Usually I have a rest day on Saturdays, but I’m not off on Saturdays, so I might as well get up early and work out since I’m getting up for work anyway. Sundays, I don’t have to work, so I can truly just enjoy a Rest day. I scheduled my “long runs” for Thursdays because that’s my other day off and just seemed more practical to me based upon my summer work schedule. If anyone wants to use my schedule, feel free! I can even email you the file if you want to change it, print it and hang it on your fridge! :)

ACE Fitness posted an interesting article about setting goals on Twitter the other day, I wanted to share this information about goal setting with you:

One proven way to set effective goals is using the SMART goal method. This method will allow you to take those vague ideas and transform them into reality.

SPECIFIC: The goals must specifically state what is to be accomplished. They must be easily understood and should not be ambiguous or subject to interpretation. For example, rather than stating you would like to improve your fitness level, set a specific goal to be able to run a mile in 12 minutes.

MEASURABLE: The goals must be measureable so that there is no doubt about whether you achieved them. Measurable goals also allow you to evaluate your progress. Goals can be measured objectively or subjectively (i.e., how you feel and look), or both. For example, you could measure your percent body fat and body weight, but also monitor how your pants fit.

ATTAINABLE: The goals must be attainable—not too difficult or too easy. Easy goals do not motivate, and overly difficult ones may frustrate you and lead to a perception of failure.

RELEVANT: The goals must be relevant or pertinent to your particular interests, needs and abilities. For example, when preparing for a 5K walk, running quarter-mile sprints would not be the best approach

TIME-BOUND: The goals must be time-bound by specific deadlines for completion. Timelines can be both short-term and long-term and should help you stay focused and on track.

*Courtesy of ACEfitness.org

I think these are great things to remember when we set goals. As I read on OhSheGlows’s blog the other day:

 “If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.” Tom Krause

Setting goals will help us do the things we don’t think we can do. What are you current goals?

I have one quick food idea to share from the weekend. I wanted a quick pasta dish on Saturday after work and grocery shopping, so I threw together a quick Mediterranean Pasta. It had the following items:

• Whole Wheat Pasta (1 serving cooked)
• 6 large olives chopped (I used kalamta and green)
• 2 Tbsp chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 1 roasted Roma tomato chopped
• 1 artichoke heart marinated in light Italian Dressing* chopped
• Some Greek Seasoning blend
• 2 Tbsp Reduced Fat Feta Cheese

Toss together and serve. It was fully of healthy oils and tasted amazing. It only took about 15 minutes to throw together too!

*I buy canned Artichoke hearts in water and when I get them home, I transfer them into a jar with 1/3 cup Fat Free Italian Dressing. They are cheaper that way, and I know what is in the marinade.

My husband and I have enjoyed a lazy weekend around the house. I even managed to fit a craft project in! Now it’s time to kick my ass in gear for the week, I’m off to the gym.

Happy Monday? :/ That doesn’t really work, does it?

Food for Comfort

 

Meatloaf. You love it or you hate it. I happen to LOVE it. Tonight I tried my hand at a Turkey Meatloaf with a Honey mustard glaze. Here’s what I got!

Tonyne’s Terrific Turkey Meatloaf with Honey Mustard Glaze

(5 pts per serving, 2 servings)

Meatloaf

7 oz uncooked ground turkey breast  
2 slices light whole wheat bread, ground in processor
1/3 cup egg whites
1/4 cup cooked carrots, shredded and sautéed  
1/3 cup cooked onions, finely chopped and sautéed  
1 tsp garlic powder  
1 tsp onion powder  

Glaze

1 Tbsp mustard  
1 Tbsp honey  
1 tsp SPLENDA® Splenda Brown Sugar Blend   

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine all ingredients for meatloaf in a bowl. Add mixture to a 5" mini loaf pan. Place in oven and cook for 25 minutes.

While loaf cooks, combine mustard, honey and brown sugar blend, whisk well.

Remove loaf from oven, top with glaze and place back in oven for 5-10 minutes.

Very YUM indeed. I served mine with a side of parsnip fries, which I’m not ashamed to say I’ve made 3 times this week. After hearing Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point rave about them for months, I finally caved. I don’t know why I waited so long!

I hope you are all having terrific weekends thus far! I am stuck at work…tell me what you’re doing! Let me life vicariously…please! :)

Friday Highs & Lows

 

Training 

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I spent most of it, like this:

I worked out first, so I didn’t feel guilty being lazy by the pool. I did the exercise bike, walked on the treadmill and did a circuit around the weight room. I need to nail down a work out schedule. Something I can hang on the fridge and stick to. I seem to do better that way.

Weigh-In

This week’s weight: 158.2lbs, –1.7lbs.

I am shocked that I lost this week. As you know I struggled at a work conference, my work outs lacked quite a bit and at home I seemed to be a bottomless pit. I guess I didn’t do as bad as I thought, but I do consider this a gift from the Weight Loss Fairy. Next week I will feel like I earned the loss!

High/Low

Since Friday is my weigh-in day, and the start of another Weight Watcher week for me, I tend to write my weekly recaps on Friday. I’ve decided that I want to start recapping my high points and my low points of each week. So I’ll start here.

Highs:

• I ran my first 10k race in 66 minutes!
• I spent a great weekend with my Mom.
• I made an awesome Black Bean Quesadilla.
• I took a lot away from my conference both personally and professionally.
• I met my husband and friends out for drinks last night and I didn’t over-do it and I didn’t succumb to bar food. I came home and made Black Bean Quesadillas, again. :)

Lows:

• I didn’t track my food much at all this week.
• I made poor food choices most of the week.
• I didn’t get as much activity in as I wanted to.

Wrap it up Tonyne.

I plan to move forward this week with a positive attitude. I am going to continue to work on my customer service skills and take this week’s loss and run with it. I want to keep the momentum going…even if I’m not sure what swung the pendulum this week. Next week I want to say “I’m responsible for that loss”. I have some planning to do tonight to make sure that happens. I also need to figure out if I’m going to run one of the Wilmington 5k’s coming up in the next few weeks. So much to do in the next week!

To those of you that celebrate Fridays, Happy Friday to you! To those of you, like me, who have to work on Saturday…good luck and Godspeed! :)

How are you going to stay active this weekend?

Conference Take-aways

 

Yesterday I blogged about my Conference Downfalls, today I want to blog about my conference take-aways. I attended a 2 day conference for the Vacation Rental Management Association. I promise, I’m not going to share with you how to run a Maintenance Department for a Vacation Rental Company although that is what I do and I did learn a lot of helpful stuff.

One of the sessions I attended was for Customer Service. It was focused on how your attitude impacts your customer service. We spoke about who our customers are, in our business we have 3 main ones…we have the vacation home renter, the vacation home owner and the owner of the company. These 3 customers can not always be made happy at the same time although that is what we strive for.

I swear, I have a point that has to do with health and wellness coming up really soon.

During a lull in the presentation my mind started to wander to the blog and to what I was missing on Twitter and Facebook and in a dream like state (you know you’ve been there in conferences before) my mind started to blend what the presenter was saying with my thoughts and I pondered the following:

“Who is MY customer? Not my company’s, but mine.”

The answer, is me. I am my own customer and owner. If I have a complaint, it’s my fault, it’s up to me to fix it. No one is going to give me a refund. No one is going to credit me back the pounds that I gain when I have a bad week. And some times, I will have to make a choice that will not make me happy.

Like when I turned down the bread and butter at lunch, but then fell victim to the dessert cart. Both choices made me unhappy and happy in totally different ways. Ok, I am derailing…sorry.

So I began to apply parts of the presentation to the customer service of myself. 2 key points stuck out:

“Think about ‘can do’s’ instead of ‘can’t do’s'.” This will effect your interactions with others (or yourself) in these key ways:

1. Resiliency  - When faced with obstacles such as changes in your schedule or unsupportive people, you are more able to stick with your plan.

2. Enthusiasm and Energy – A positive attitude generates enthusiasm about what you do.

If we focus on the things we can control, on the exercises we can do, the changes we can make and stick with, instead of the things we can’t the rest will slowly fall into place.

The 2nd point that stuck out to me was the following quote:

“Today’s exceptions become tomorrows expectations.”

That quote will help me to remember that while it is alright to treat myself occasionally, today’s exception (or treat) can not become tomorrow’s expectation. Think about how easily that happens. You have a stressful day, you reach for a piece of candy, then that becomes your mind’s expectation during every stressful situation.

After this presentation and taking away as much as I did, personally and professionally, I did the only respectable thing. I bowed out of the conference early, before the last session and went for a run.

Although I was prepared for the conference, I had healthy snacks in my purse, I still made poor choices. However, I won’t let today’s exceptions become tomorrow’s expectations.

The conference is now over and I have today off from work. In honor of Earth Day, I think I am going to spend the day outside!

Conference Downfalls

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am attending a work conference. I am actually typing this out on my Blackberry in between sessions.

I have a hard time staying on track when my schedule varies a lot. Yesterday I gave into a fast food lunch, poor choices were made, and today I gave into half of a bagel and I wasn't even hungry. This week has also been lacking exercise and I have no real excuse except being tired, which I don't think is a legitimate excuse.

I guess I am writing to say that this week, I have been weak on my plan. This week is tough. I am not doing my best this week. Yes, I know that these things happen and yes I know I will get it back on track, but I sure do feel disappointed in myself right now.

Do you find it hard to stay on track when your schedule is hectic and varied? How do you keep from beating yourself up over it?

Meatless Monday – Black Bean Quesadillas

 

After a long hard day at work, my best form of relaxation is…well, I have 2, either a glass of wine or music playing a little too loud while I dance around my kitchen cooking dinner. (And since I try to never lie…sometimes both) I’m by myself at home a lot, thankfully, otherwise the husband would probably kill me for the music part since we have an open floor plan. However, that’s exactly what I did last night. I turned on the new John Mayer album (it’s really good, I promise!) and just started cooking. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, here is what I ended up with. I hope you try them, they are YUM. Of course, I would never share anything with you that I didn’t think was YUM. ;)

 Black Bean Quesadillas (5 points per serving)

Ingredients

4 Mission® White corn tortillas  
7 1/2 oz canned black beans  
1 1/2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped  
1/4 cup salsa  
1 Tbsp Taco seasoning  
1/3 cup Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican-Style Cheese  
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed  
1 tsp vegetable oil, divided

Instructions

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in onion and cook until soft. Stir in beans and corn, add salsa and taco seasoning. Cook until heated through.
Spray large skillet with vegetable oil and a little cooking spray, place a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle with half of the cheese, top with half of the bean mixture. Place 2nd tortilla on top. Cook until golden brown and then flip.

I served mine with some fat free plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and some steamed green beans with Mrs. Dash. I love my veggies simple sometimes. This is a very filling recipe! Would be an easy switch from a beef or chicken quesadilla for a picky eater. My recipe (like all of my recipes unless otherwise noted) makes 2 servings. Either to share or, as in my case, pack for lunch the next day.

Today is my first day of a 2 day work conference. Oh Mighty Healthy Food Fairy, where ever you are, please me on my side. I think the best way to start what is bound to be another stressful day, is with a little Yoga. I’m having a hard time getting into a work out routine this week now that I’m finished with my training schedule.

How do you de-stress after a long day at work?

Don't forget, if you live near the Wilmington, NC area, I have a proposition for you!

What's up next?

If you missed my Lighthouse 10k Recap on Saturday, please go check it out. It was an awesome race and I had a good time! However, I am already ready for another race. Is that normal? :)

Due to my work schedule it's going to be very hard to participate in races until the fall. I have to work Saturdays. It's not an option from this point forward. However, I found two races within an hour's drive on Sundays in May. One is The Bellamy Mansion Race for History and the other is a Mother's Day 5k & Fun Run. Both are in Wilmington, NC and are on 5/2 and 5/9 respectively. I really want to do the Bellamy Mansion run. It sounds awesome. It's through historic Wilmington and you get to tour the grounds of the Mansion after the run. However, the 2nd is the day after a party my friend Kelly is having, so I'll have to weigh my options. I am going to do one of them though, that much I know.



Anyone local or nearby to Wilmington interested in coming out and doing one with me? You don't have to run, you can walk! Races are so much fun and these are only $20'ish and both are going to good causes. Let me know if you're interested!

In other race news, my good friend Heather (who I met through the wonderful blogging world) has finally gotten me to commit to running my first Half Marathon. I am excited and terrified. We chose the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon and it's the inaugural year.
I like to train using Jeff Galloway's training programs, so this would mean my training will begin on June 27th. I just keep thinking to myself "You ran 7 miles once...just do that almost twice." Yeah. I'm having confidence issues, but I'll get past them and I have plenty of time to train!

When I start to think that maybe I can't do something...this is what I'm going to think of from here on out. At the end of the Lighthouse 10k, we were getting ready to leave and my Mom says "Oh no, someone fell!" We look over and about 100 yards from the finish line an elderly gentleman had taken a tumble where the road turned from pavement to gravel. He kept trying to get up and they kept making him lay down. You could tell he just wanted to finish the race. I heard through the crowd that he was having chest pains. The ambulance and medics finally showed up and the man tried to get up again. The medic, with a reluctant look on his face, helped him up. They walked over the finish line together, the man answering the medics questions for his paperwork before his ride to the hospital. I cheered and cheered for him as he finished. It brought tears to my eyes. You can always finish. Just don't take no for an answer.

My meal plan for the week!

Meatless Monday - Black Bean & Cheese Quesadillas
Tuesday - Chicken Salad Sandwich
Wednesday - Herb Parmesan Crusted Talapia
Thursday - Turkey Meatloaf with a Honey Mustard Glaze
Friday - Whatever's Left in the Fridge thrown together to make something yummy.

This will be a difficult week. My eating wasn't great over the weekend. I indulged in my cravings (in moderation, but I still indulged) with my Mom and I have to attend a conference for work on Tuesday and Wednesday. I an very type A and tend to panic a bit when my schedule isn't just so. Yes, I know this about myself and yes this is something I'm trying to work on.

I think I've yammered on enough for today. I hope you all had fantastic weekends! :)

Lighthouse 10k Race Recap

 

The morning started out with my usual pre-run breakfast. Coffee and toast with jam. I packed a Luna Lemon Zest bar to eat about an hour before the race on the car ride to Oak Island.

When we got there, the wind was KICKIN’! It was kinda cool out too. I guess that made me channel my inner Brett Michaels. TIP: Don’t put your bib on in the car, it will be crooked.

It was a point to point race, so we loaded up on trolleys to go to the finish line. I rode over with my friend Kelly who did the 5k.

The first mile was over the Oak Island Bridge. It was a slight incline, but nothing like the Ocean Isle Beach Bridge which I crossed twice during the OIB Run for Food in January. The view from the bridge is amazing. I realized I was doing pretty well coming down the other side of the bridge and was holding steady within a 9 minute mile until about mile 2.

We wound and wound through some neighborhoods and by the first water stop I was starting to feel a little tired. The water and a good song on the Ipod got me moving again. It was right about this point where we round a curve and saw ocean. It was a beautiful day and the wind had either slowed to a cool breeze or just felt great at that point. I continued to look to my right and at the ocean whenever I felt the urge to slow down or stop. It kept me distracted for awhile.

Around mile 3, we were at the 5k’ers starting point. This is where I really started to struggle. I walked for a bit, but never for long and just kept trucking.

Right at 4.5 miles, I felt it. Someone had set my legs in concrete and then set them in a Jell-O mold. That’s the only way to explain it. I felt like I weighed 1,000lbs. I ran as much as I could, but walked fast when I needed to. The sun was directly in my face and I was covered in sand.

When I saw the 5 mile marker, I knew it was the home stretch and this helped me push forward. I finished in 66 minutes and 41 seconds. I couldn’t have been happier or more exhausted crossing that finish line!

I am so proud of myself. The goal I had in my head, that I never expected to achieve, was 66 minutes. I will totally take 66:41 as a BIG WIN for me!

My friends Kelly and Jen ran their 5ks and both did VERY well! Jen even placed 3rd in her age group! I am so proud of both of them!

I don’t know how so many runners have such beautiful pictures after or even before races. I always look like a hot mess! However, I am proud of that messy hair and that sweat! I earned it!

With my first 10k now complete, and my work schedule not really allowing me to run any more races until the fall, I am already itching to do another one. It’s going to be a LONG summer!

Here is my playlist, although honestly, I know music was on while I was running…but I don’t really remember listening to it. I was just focused on every step.

 

I think it’s time to go nap by the pool! See y’all later! Go run! :)

Tomorrow is the big day

 

Weigh-in

This week’s weight – 159.9lbs, –.9lbs. The 150s! I know it’s barely the 150s, but it’s the 150s! This puts me .3 from my first big goal of 50lbs lost. So close! This week’s weight loss puts me at my 5% loss goal since officially starting Weight Watchers Online in January.

Running

Yesterday morning, I had a good run. I was fast…well, for me.

 

Tomorrow is the Lighthouse 10k. My first 10k race. I’m excited and nervous. I’m as ready as I’m going to be. I’m just going to go out there, run and have fun. I have no PR to break, no goal for finish time. My only goal is to finish. My Mom is coming to visit for the weekend and to be my cheerleader! It will be so awesome to have her there at the end waiting for me. We are very close.

Cooking

TJ over at TJ’s Test Kitchen, who I adore, made this fantastic looking Butternut Squash Flatbread. So guess what I did? I changed it a little and made Butternut Squash Pita Pizzas!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked cubed butternut squash, in small cubes  
2  Whole Wheat Pitas
2 Tbsp red onion, sliced  
1 garlic clove, finely diced   
3 Tbsp fat-free ricotta cheese  
2 Tbsp Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend  
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese  

Instructions

Toast pita loaves in a 400 degree oven until just crispy.

Mix ricotta and garlic, smear onto pita loaves. Top with cooked squash and onion, pressing lightly down into the ricotta. Top with 1 tbsp each of italian cheese blend and bake until cheese melts. Top with 1 tbsp each of Parmesan cheese and serve.

The changes I made: I skipped the olive oil, used fat free ricotta in it’s place and I used pita bread instead of traditional pizza crust. I got the points value down to 4 points per pita! I’m sure TJ’s pizza is AMAZING though. I just don’t need that many leftovers of it, so I chose the pita bread. I had a side of steamed “Baby boom-boom cabbage” on the side. If you don’t know why I’m calling brussels sprouts “baby boom-boom cabbage”, which I intend to do from now on, please go visit Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit, which you should be doing daily anyway.

Wrap it up Tonyne….

I hope to post a race recap on Saturday at some point. Wish me luck! I’m still looking for a few more songs to round out my playlist…anyone got any suggestions to keep me moving? So far I have gotten such suggestions as Rod Stewart “Do ya think I’m sexy”, Salt –n- Peppa “Push It” and Michael Jackason “Beat It”. They are all going on the playlist. Give me what ya got! :)

Happy Friday!

Tonyne’s Fancy Eggplant Cutlets

 

Just a recipe and a video for today folks, hope that’s ok!

Tonyne’s Fancy Eggplant Cutlets (5 points per 2 slices)

1 medium raw eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cutlets  
1/2 cup Progresso Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain, with Italian seasoning sprinkled in 
1/4 cup fat-free egg white substitute  
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped  
1/4 cup red onion
1 marinated artichoke heart, chopped
6 large olives, finely chopped, green & kalamata mixture
4 Tbsp fat-free ricotta cheese  
1/4 cup Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend 

 

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Instructions

Bread eggplant slices using egg substitute and panko, cook in a 400* degree oven for 11 minutes per side.
Remove from oven when golden brown. Top each cutlet with 1tbsp of ricotta cheese and 1/4 of tomato & olive mixture. Top with 1 tbsp of Italian cheese blend and place under broiler until cheese melts.

Easy as pie and looks like a fancy dish! If you are going to have leftovers, dress the eggplant right before eating after reheating the cutlets in a toaster oven. I paired it with a serving of Roni’s Chilled Orzo and Pea Salad. It would make an excellent Meatless Monday dinner as well!

I leave you with a funny video of Chaser the Wonder Schnauzer. I gave him a squeak toy for his 3rd Birthday (which was Monday, but I forgot until yesterday! Oops!), watch his tongue every time it squeaks. :)

 

Heading out the door for a quick 2 mile run, the last run before my 10k on Saturday! 2 more days!

Happy Thursday y’all! :)

It’s all Greek to me!

 

Let’s start with my run yesterday morning. It was GREAT.

It was just the confidence boost I needed for Saturday. It was one of those runs that let me going “Who is this person?”! However, my knee started to feel a little wonky when I finished and did for about 2 hours. It passed and it’s not bothering me now, but I may take it easy on it until Saturday just in case. Going to play it by ear. I skipped weights this morning just to be safe.

Speaking of training, kinda, I read this awesome article yesterday about 10 Steps to extend your running life. It’s good for any level of runner from beginner to advanced. It’s full of great tips for avoiding injury and enjoying running. Click Here for the full article. Some of the steps I currently practice, I have good shoes, I listen to my body and all that good stuff, but like with any hobby or activity, you need to learn about it. Stay fresh on current advice, etc. So, I urge any of you runners/joggers out there to READ THIS ARTICLE! Go do it, I’ll wait…

 

I think it’s probably good advice for anyone, even those who don’t run or jog. Ok, enough already, I know, I know. But with only 3 days left until my 10k I’m sort of running focused.

Dinner last night was very Greek inspired. It started with Feta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken breasts, I added whole wheat couscous (with olives & artichoke) and some brussels sprouts (surely they have those in Greece, right?).

Feta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken (4 points)

1/2 tsp olive oil, divided   

1/2 small onion(s), chopped   

5oz spinach, fresh

1 tsp lemon juice   

2 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled   

1 tsp table salt, divided   

1/2 tsp black pepper, divided   

2 four ounce uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast

Instructions

In a large nonstick skillet heat oil; sauté onion until golden, 5 minutes.
Wilt spinach (steam spinach or heat damp spinach over medium heat in nonstick pan); stir in zest, feta, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Divide spinach mixture between cutlets. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove toothpicks.

For the couscous, I just made it as directed, added some chopped kalamata olives, 2 tbsp plain fat free greek yogurt and 1 marinated artichoke heart chopped. For the sprouts, I steamed them then made a sauce out of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stirred the sprouts in it. Easy, fairly quick and something I could easily serve to company. Those are the best meals!

And in case you missed this important piece of news yesterday, the cast of  Jersey Shore was caught working out in Miami. JWow was in a TUBE TOP. Who jump ropes in a Tube Top? JWOW! That’s who! Sorry, I could pass it up…I can’t turn away from Jersey Shore. It’s my super trashy TV guilty pleasure. You can find all the pictures at FitSugar.com.

So now you now you know my trashy TV guilty pleasure. What’s yours?

Meatless Monday – Sloppy Fauxs

 

Scheduled for Meatless Monday this week was a very yummy sounding Vegetarian Burrito Casserole that I was looking forward to making. I found the original recipe, had it “healthified” and everything. Monday rolled around, I have been really bothered by the pollen this year and when I got home I just felt terrible and the last thing I felt like making was that burrito casserole. Sometimes with meal planning, this happens.

I looked in my cupboards to see what I had on hand. I found some Sloppy Joe seasoning mix and I thought about being a kid and having a big old messy sloppy joe dripping down to my elbows. I thought “What the heck!” So I decided to make a vegetarian sloppy joe, except I’ll call it, Sloppy Faux. Here it is:

Sloppy Faux (4 points per serving)

Ingredients

• 1 cup(s) meatless soy crumbles   
  1 cup(s) zucchini, chopped
• 1/4 cup(s) red onion(s), finely chopped    
  3/4 cup(s) canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup(s) tomato(es), chopped   
• 2 tsp French's Sloppy Joe Seasoning   
• 2 slice(s) Nature's Own Light Honeywheat Bread, toasted   
• 1/4 cup(s) Kraft Cracker Barrel Shredded 2% milk reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese   

Instructions

Sauté zucchini and onion in pan and sauté until soft. Add soy crumbles, tomato sauce, chopped tomato and sloppy joe seasoning. Cook until done.
Place 1/2 of the mixture of on each piece of toast. Sprinkle each with 1/2 of the cheese and place under broiler under cheese is melty.

I served mine with some Butternut Squash Fries. I no longer enjoy food getting all over me when I eat it, so I’ve long since ate my Sloppy Joes (and now Fauxs) open faced with a knife and fork. Comfort food at it’s best which I took right to the front of the TV and settled in for the night.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get my Yoga done. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body. I was sound asleep by 10:30pm.

I’m off to run! Only 4 more days until my 10k, Yikes! :)

Are you bothered by pollen? This is my first year with any allergy problems…any advice? It’s awful!

Weekend Update with Tonyne

 

Hi everyone! I had  a pretty good weekend. I hope you did too! I ate well, I got a new running headband, from BonidiBand.com…

…that I love and I think sums me up pretty well! I ordered it and 3 days later it arrived! They are super fast! I tested it on my Sunday run and it stayed on my head the whole time, it worked GREAT. They didn’t give me this headband or pay me to say that either. I’m just a girl that has been desperate for years to find a headband that stayed on my head. Thank you BondiBand!

On Saturday, I had to work. After work I went to the grocery store…totally boring! But on Sunday I met my friend Kelly for brunch and I wore another skirt! I think I’m liking this skirt thing.

 

I ate a bit heavy at brunch because I started my day off with a pretty decent 4 mile run, so I was starving by the time we got there. This will be my last long’ish run before the 10k on Saturday.

I did log the points for everything I ate and I started my meal with mixed fruit. After brunch we went to the beach. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures, but it was a beautiful day.

A few days ago, Jen from Slim-Shoppin.com, asked if I would be interested in being part of her weight loss success story blog series. Of course I said Yes! She asked me some really great questions and posted my story on her blog Sunday evening.

Her site if full of good information and inspiration! Be sure to stop by and say hello!

All in all, it was a great weekend. I wish I could have spent more time with the husband but his main goal this weekend was sleep and I think he may have overachieved his goal a bit! We work different schedules so now I won’t see him again until Wednesday.

Here is my meal plan for the week!

Meatless Monday – Vegetarian Burrito Casserole

Tuesday – Spinach & Feta Stuff Chicken breast with Quinoa

Wednesday – Eggplant Cutlets with Tomato Olive relish

Thursday – Cheeseburger Pita Pizza

Friday – Whatever my Mama wants for dinner! She is coming down for my 10k! :)

It’s Monday again. They seem to be coming around fast these days, huh? I plan on doing some Yoga after work. My body just told me to sleep that extra hour this morning…I didn’t feel much like arguing with it.

What book are you reading right now? I need some recommendations for beach/poolside reading!

Friday, friday, friday…

 

With my new schedule, Friday really doesn’t mean much to me anymore. I’m off on Thursday and Sunday, so I don’t even really have a true Monday either. Well, I guess my Monday is Monday, but you get the point. It’s hard to get readjusted. Next week I will work Monday – Friday because on Saturday, I run my 10k! Then, that will be my last weekend off until the Fall. Crazy Summer schedule. I am going to try and keep up with the blog though, it just may not be every day anymore. I hope you guys understand!

It’s Friday, so that’s weigh in day. Drum roll please!

160.8lbs (-2.6lbs)

Yay! That puts me less than a pound away from 50lbs of weight loss since I started last January.  I had a good week, good food, good work outs. It was one of those weeks were everything went smoothly. I know they don’t come along often.

Regardless of what my weight is, I’m feeling good about myself and that is what’s important. I took a recent picture to give you guys a recent progression, so, here you go!

49 lbs down! AND I’m wearing a skirt that’s above the knee. I never used to do that! It’s not the greatest picture, the husband is not very good with the camera. I feel healthy and I feel great. I’m enjoying the foods I love and I’m figuring out BALANCE. It’s amazing that I never understood balance and moderation before. Lately people have been telling me that I “inspire” them. I appreciate this so much, but I have to tell you, I never set out to be anyone’s inspiration. I am doing this for me. I do it for the way it makes me feel and I write about it to keep myself accountable. But, if I have inspired someone to live a more balanced life, that really is fantastic.

I just want to reiterate something to you guys and to myself. There is no quick fix, this is hard work. We all have rough days, weeks or even months. Just stick with it, it’s so worth it. Not just because of the way you look (although that helps) but because of the way you feel and the chronic health problems you could be saving yourself from!

One more thing! Last night for dinner, I made for the 2nd time Hungry-Girl’s Outside In Turkey Burgers.

Every time I make this burger I feel as if I’m indulging in some amazingly decadent burger. It’s only 4 WW Points. I love that. I can’t stress to you enough how yummy it is when you bite into the burger and taste all the yummy swiss cheese. PHENOMONAL. I ate it on an Everything Bagel Thin with some roasted asparagus on the side. Make it for dinner tonight! And it case you missed the link the first time, here it is again! Outside-In Turkey Burger!!!

For dinner tonight, I have no plan. I think I might make some Quorn and Qunioa. How many times in your life do you get to eat two foods that start with Q in the same meal? And I think it would be tasty. :)

What are you going to have for dinner tonight?

Meatless Monday – BBQ Quron Pita Pizza

 

Are you wondering what Quron is? I was too when I first saw it. The grocery store where I shop put their entire stock on sale really cheap. This only really worried me more, but at 1 WW Point per cup, I wanted to give it a try. In case I really liked it, I bought 3 bags. It has been sitting in my freezer ever since. I know it was a huge leap of faith! I didn’t know what to do with it and I still didn’t know what it was, so I went to their website for information. It was there that I found out the following information about Quron:

Quorn is comprised of Mycoprotein. A fungus. Great.

Mycoprotein is a fungus which contains high-quality protein, enabling us to offer an alternative, purely vegetarian source of protein to meat. It is high quality because it has all 9 essential amino acids.

Now, that sounds like a lot of pros for a fungus. So I decided to give it a try. I love BBQ Chicken Pizza and I figured that enough BBQ Sauce can drown the taste of anything. So here’s my recipe for Meatless Monday…I give you:

BBQ Quron Pita Pizza

POINTS® Value:    6
Servings:  1

Ingredients

1 loaf/loaves Whole Wheat Pita Bread

1 cup(s) Quorn Tenders

4 slice(s) onion(s), cut in half

4 Tbsp barbecue sauce   

1 Tbsp vinegar   

1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced   

2 Tbsp Sargento Reduced-fat shredded Italian Blend cheese   

Instructions

Toast Pita loaf in a 400 degree oven until just crispy.

While pita bakes, sauté Quorn Tenders and onion in a non-stick pan sprayed with cooking spray until cooked through.

Combine BBQ Sauce, vinegar and garlic, set aside.

When the Quron mixture is done, add half of the BBQ sauce mixture and stir to coat.

Remove pita loaf from oven, top with remaining BBQ Sauce, then Quron mixture. Top with cheese and bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted.

I paired it with a side salad and this made for a…FANTASTIC meal. The Quorn, to me, is textured and tastes VERY similar to chicken. I much prefer this to Tofu. My stocking up at the grocery store will be well worth it! I can’t wait to play some more with this stuff.

Since I started Meatless Mondays, I eat more meatless meals during the whole week. I generally eat between 3-4 vegetarian dinners (which turn into lunch leftovers the next day) a week! Am I giving up meat completely? No. I have no intention to do so at this time, but I did want to cut some of it out and I’m not having any trouble. I really enjoy trying new recipes and foods. There are so many fantastic meatless options! I really urge all of you to do at least 1 meatless night a week, just try it for 1 month. I promise, you won’t miss the meat! :)

Ok, now that I shared a recipe, it’s time to go run! I can’t believe my 10k is in less than 2 weeks! 2 days up at 5am…I think I’m getting my mojo back!

Did anyone see the Butler/Duke game last night? I’m a UNC fan through and through, always have been, so I was sad to see Duke win, but WOW that was some game! Butler played so well! 

7 miles

It's 5:40am and I am awake! I am bound and determined to get reacquainted with this hour of the day. Would I rather be sleeping? Absolutely. However I am proud that I am awake. With my work schedule really becoming something rather hectic for the next few months, I worry that the blog will suffer. So, I'm going to try to start writing early in the morning that way it's done and posted before the mad dash begins. So, getting up at 5:15am not only gives me time for a work out it gives me a little time to blog!

As for my workout this morning, I am going to do AM Yoga with Rodney Yee. I have had this DVD forever, but I love it. He has a very soothing voice.

I chose Yoga this morning because I am a little stiff from my 7 mile run yesterday. That's right, my 7 mile run.



That is my farthest distance yet. I am proud of myself for completing the run, however it was far from my best run. I was very sluggish and slow due to the fact I didn't get enough sleep, I had a bit too much drink the night before and I didn't eat appropriately the day before either. It was ROUGH. The Lighthouse 10k is in 2 weeks, this chick will be doing some clean living until after that. I can't put my body through another run like that. I felt like I was hitting the wall for the entire run. But, I did finish it! I wanted to quit so many times, but I didn't. I finished.

So, it's Monday morning and 2 of my goals have been completed. I completed my 7 mile run (finally) and I am awake before 6am. Go me! Let's put the Easter Candy away and keep the pendulum swinging in the right direction for awhile!

We are having a heat wave here in NC. It's supposed to be 80 degrees today! It would be the perfect day to sit on the beach or by the pool! How's the weather where you are?

I am human. Damn it.

I will start this blog with my weigh in, because I want to get it over with.

Today's weight: 163.4 / +2.2lbs from last week.

Am I shocked? Actually I'm kind of shocked it wasn't more.

Shocked you didn't gain more? Really? You don't say? Yes. I went off plan...all week. I didn't track, I ate pizza and burgers between the hours of 1am-3am in Savannah and other than walking around the city and one 3 mile run yesterday I have had little activity.

I came back from a fantastic vacation to find my husband sick, my dog sick, I found that I have developed allergies to pollen after 30 years of being allergy free. The house was a mess because the husband and the dog were sick, I had to sleep in the guest bedroom so I didn't get what my husband had. I couldn't unpack from my trip. I was exhausted from not sleeping well in Savannah. All of that added together made for a very lazy, poor eating me.

Did I also mention that I work for a Beach Vacation Rental Company as Maintenance Coordinator and this week starts our peak season and that for the next 4-5 months I will be working much like a Tasmanian Devil crossbred with a Whirling Dervish? Well, I will be. Imagine that in your heads.

You know how much I hate excuses and I'm sorry to give them to you. I feel like I've let you down.

But, you know what this has helped me to realize? I'm human. It happens to all of us. However when the husband says "You haven't tracked your food this week, like at all." I know it's time to reign it back in.

Today was going to be that day...but guess what? I went back to sleep after my 5am alarm went off.

*slaps forehead*

Tonight I will do some yoga...I probably need the stress relief along with the activity.

I will do my 7 mile run (which still has not been done) on Sunday. Monday I will resume the 5:20am wake ups. That is my plan. I am starting to feel the panic of loss of control in the back of my throat. Especially when I walk into my office this morning and find this!



The candy fairy struck. The whole cup is filled with jelly beans. I love jelly beans.

Here is my meal plan:

Meatless Monday - BBQ Quorn (vegetarian chicken like substance) Pita Pizza
Tuesday - Chicken Breast with Artichoke & Feta
Wednesday - Black Bean & Corn Chili
Thursday - Hungry Girl's Outside In Turkey Cheeseburger

Wish me luck reigning this puppy in. I know this isn't the typical motivational entry that I love to write...but like I said before. I am human. The same struggles you have, I have. The same inner battles you go through, I go through as well. This all just reminds me how far I have left to go.




That being said...I wish you all happy weekends if you have them and Happy Easter's if you celebrate it!