On the steady decline...

Thursday Recap:

Workout:  Tone it up Kettlebell workout

So, after checking out my old blog posts, I can officially say that my good ole kettlebell has been left in the workout dust since March 2011.  Yep.  Besides a stand-alone arm workout here and there, they've mostly just lounged around, gazing longingly at my much-used dumbbells J.  Even Katie's shown them more love of late...

Well, it made its grand reemergence yesterday morning for this quick, 18 minute workout that I absolutly ADORED.  So much so that I think after their 3 year hiatus, the kettlebell might be used again THIS morning for the same workoutJ  By 8pm last night, I could sloowwwlly feel everything starting to 'tense up' which meant SOMETHING must have workedJ  Give this one a try!  18 MINUTES!  ...but be warned for those 'Turkish getups.'  Holy hell!

I was planning on tossing in another round of 'cardio dance' in the early evening, but around mid-afternoon yesterday I realized I needed to stop kidding myself and just get a shower because there was going to be NO MORE working out for the rest of the dayJ  I'll explain more in a bitJ

9:00am:  Breakfast- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

OK...now this recipe is A LITTLE intense for a 'normal' weekday morning, but given that the weekend is right in sight, I URGE you to make this recipe for a lazy weekend breakfast because you will NOT be disappointed!

The amount of ingredients is the most 'difficult' part, but SOOOOOOO worth it when you taste these sweet, slightly crispy cakes and definitely one you can feel good about since all of those million ingredients are GOOD FOR YOU!

Now you KNOW I am NOT the 'world's best pancake maker,' but I DID manage to get these in 'pancake shape' AND flipped in one piece thanks to my little trick of flattening the thick batter into thin cakes.  Make sure to wet the spatula first so the batter doesn't stick...cause it will.

Just trust me on that oneJ

These even made the 'oat storm' from yesterday morning ALL worth it.  And I LOVE the addition of coconut oil, since it gave the edges a nice crispness (same as the banana oatmeal cookies that we LOVED).  Give these a try for a fabulously healthy breakfast treat...complete with chocolate chipsJ

11:00am  (yep!):  Lunch- Leftover Mexican Quinoa  WITH toppingsJ

Yep, no piece of fruit was going to sustain me as I wanted something WARM & COMFORTING ASAP by 11am yesterday morning and this fit the bill perfectly.  Especially since, by this point of the day, I had already cleaned up "Oat New Years" AND withstood a meltdown of EPIC proportions while just TRYING TO WASH KATIE'S HAIR.  Yes.  It was THAT exhausting.

And after a few more hours of play & trying to translate VERY determined '2 year old language,' by the time nap time rolled around (not a moment too soon), Momma need a snack of liquid energy!  (after that aforementioned 'no more workouts' showerJ)

2:30pm:  Snack- Coffee & 2 Key lime bites

Thankfully, this gave me just enough of a boost to check some items off my 'to do' list and get me motivated for the rest of the day.  You're just always there for me when I need you, coffee.

I digress.

6:00pm:  Dinner- "Zucchini Manicotti" & side salad

Fun, right?  And they actually came together REALLY quickly AND they held their shape FAIRLY wellJ

You simply:

• zip zucchini up into 'noodle shapes' with a cheese slicer and let it sit with a drizzle of olive oil, and a shake of salt & pepper
• mixed ricotta with chopped basil, some Parmesan and salt & pepper
• grabbed a jar of your favorite sauce (Bove's is the only 'jarred sauce' allowed to party with usJ)

...and if you're feeling extra motivated, brown and crumble some chicken sausage.  But you can totally skip that part to make this dinner even easier OR vegetarian. 

Lay out 3 'noodles' slightly overlapping, fill with a little scoop of sausage, cheese & sauce and line seam-side down in a sauce covered pan. 

Cover with MORE sauce and some shredded mozzarella and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until everything is warmed through... 

REALLY, REALLY good.  They had ALL the TASTES of manicotti/lasagna, so you really didn't miss the noodles at all.  You know I LOVE me some noodles, but ya can't really beat a ZERO guilt swap...especially on a weeknight.  Try these out as another fun zucchini/pasta swap! 

 9:00pm:  Dessert- "Mini Reese's Blizzard"
Scott & I were out and about last night and decided a trip to Dairy Queen for their MINI Blizzards didn't sound like the worst idea.  They are JUST enough to enjoy without overindulging.  (even 1/2 of a mini would be enough...but I'd be lying if I said I stopped at 1/2 last nightJ)

And in "Week 3" of "more mindful" eating/post-slimdown, the scale is still on a steady decline.  NOT FAST, but steady and DEFINITELY in the right directionJ  I'll take it...especially when the last thing I ate RIGHT before a weigh-in involved peanut butter cupsJ

Alrighty...well, we have a FUN day with a REALLY fun 'linner' planned for today and I'm sure we'll have some more good eats over the weekend that I'll be excited to share with you on Monday.  Hope you guys have a GREATTTTTT weekend!

Enjoy!J

"Happy New Year"...

Wednesday Recap:

9:00am:  Breakfast- Leftover Cinnamon Quinoa Bake

Even though Sunday is our usual GO ALL OUT breakfast treat of the week, I had whipped up this healthier fare this weekend given that I knew chicken & waffles was in our immediate futureJ  Cinnamon scented custard is the base for this quinoa breakfast which, after a bite to get used to the 'unique' texture, made for a yummy & healthy treat.  Leftovers were easily heated up for 1 minute in the microwave and make for a great 'grab & go' breakfast.  Oh...and I topped both servings with a little almond butter to make it even MORE filling.

Morning Workout:  Power Yoga

The workout room was HOTTTTT before we even STARTED.  Toss in a bunch of torturous power moves (including the dastardly 'up up down down pushups'...GRRRR!) and you had the makings for working out in a sauna!  Sweat = POURING.  It was a hot one, folks!

12:30pm:  Lunch- Coconut Cherry Smoothie in a bowl

Hot class = COOOOOOOOL lunch needed!  This one fit the bill with:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 7-8 frozen cherries
• 1 scoop protein powder
• Chobani coconut Greek Yogurt

Whirled up, poured in a bowl & topped with a sprinkle of coconut chips, coconut butter & Go Lean crunch made for a coooooooool & creamy lunch.  

I was JUST about to toss some spinach in there, but didn't want to loose that pretty PINKJ

2:00pm:  Snack- TOAST with butter & flax seed

I had been craving toast for a few days and it was finally time to GIVE INJ  1 slice and I was satisfied for the rest of the afternoon.

5:00pm:  Dinner- Mexican Quinoa with Guacamole

This may just be the EASIEST 'healthy' dish I've ever made, or at least it's right up there.  And it was an absolute HIT all around!  (based on THIS RECIPE!)

All you need to do is:

1.- Toast up 1 sliced onion & 2 minced garlic cloves for a few minutes in a pan drizzled with olive oil.

2.- Add:

• 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup RINSED quinoa
• 1 cup corn
• 1 can rinsed & drained black beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt & pepper, to taste
• (I also added 1/2 bag of roasted peppers & onions since I had them in the freezer)

3.- Bring to a boil before covering & simmering 25 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

SERIOUSLY, how easy is that????  That's what I call ONE POT MAGIC!!! 

Once the quinoa is cooked, the fun can begin in the form of TOPPINGS!  I started with 1 cup Mexican quinoa topped with diced cilantro, diced green onions & a squeeze of lime juice... 

...followed by 

• guacamole (1 avocado mashed with salt and some lime & cilanto)
• salsa
• sour cream
• a sprinkle of reduced fat Mexican cheese
• a few tortilla crunchies for good measure J

Absolutely outstanding and the short cook time makes it a 'No excuse healthy weeknight dinner.'  Seriously, give this one a try if you're trying to eat better or cooking up quinoa for the first time.  You'll be both amazed how quickly it comes together AND how delicious 'health food' can beJ 

A definite hit ALL aroundJ 

Evening Workout:  Body Jam

My beloved Body Jam 64 did NOT disappoint last night.  My energy level was OFF. THE. CHARTS since I was SO EXCITED to DANCE this one outJ

8:00pm:  Dessert- Mini pudding piesJ 

This time made with a mint chocolate pudding cup and a squeeze of light whipped cream...swoon!  Just too cuteJ

And in full disclosure of my morning so far:  

My breakfast prep descended into THIS:

Which lead to me keeping Katie busy for a little while:

Although that little plan of clean up has now lead to tossing the oats like confetti and screaming "Happy New Year," followed by making 'snow angels' in the oats all while I type this postJ

#Disaster  #MemoriesJ

Alright...well, I better get to actually cleaning up these oats that have now spread far & wide throughout my kitchenJ  Have a great ThursdayJ

2 Thumbs up...

Tuesday Recap:

Morning Workout:  Tone it up HIIT routine

Such a great, efficient workout that takes TWENTY MINUTES.  Twenty minutes, folks!  You can do it!!  Give it a tryJ

9:00am:  Breakfast- Almond Joy Chia Seed Pudding

And after that sweaty workout mixed with a slightly humid day, I was VERY happy to have this COOOOOOL breakfast all ready & waiting for me in the fridgeJ  Chia, cold almond milk, almond butter & coconut = yum.  You can also add some chocolate chips to the top...but in some weird alternate universe, I actually didn't WANT them yesterday.  Say whaaaaaaaa??  Who am I?????

11:30am:  Snack- 1/2 Grapefruit

O.M.G....THIS one was BITTTTTTTTTTTTTER.  CAPITAL B.  I barely managed 1/2 WITH Stevia.  Meanwhile, Katie housed a WHOLE one...sans sweetner.  

I'll never understand it.

1:30pm:  Lunch- Salad with leftover Hummus pattie 

In the salad mix:

• Lettuce
• 1/2 sliced cucumber
• Feta cheese
• Olive oil & juice from 1/2 lemon

+ 1/2 Mango

3:30pm:  Snack-  2 Key Lime Bites!!

Mmmmmmm...where the coconut mango bites were tropical, these little guys tasted sooooooooo fresh from the lime juice and zest & fresh mint.  SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup dates
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• Pinch of sea salt

Toss everything in a food processor and let it blend until a dough forms.  (I had to add a little water to gather everything together.)  Roll the mix into 1/2-1 inch balls and roll in a little bit of extra coconut.

The testing panel approved and gave em 2 thumbs upJ

6:00pm:  Dinner- Quiona & Kale salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

I made nearly this exact same salad, except I swapped the brown rice for 1 cup of cooked quiona since I had some leftover from a breakfast recipe on Sunday (I'll share more tomm since the leftovers are my breakfast this morningJ)

Oh yeah, and it's sans chicken since I TOTALLY forgot it was supposed to be included in the partyJ  OppssJ  Good thing quinoa is a complete protein and helped make this salad super filling. 

And in "OF COURSE I SAY IT, SO NOW IT CHANGES" news:  Katie wanted NOTHING to do with this salad last nightJ  Sigh...such is the life of a 2-year oldJ  Rather, she INHALED white beans & blueberries for dinner like it was her job.  Seriously, it was like a vacuumJ I'll still take itJ

Evening Workout:  Vinyasa & Gentle Yoga

And despite passing up those chocolate chips in the morning, I was DYINNNNGGGG for something sweet last night and got myself off to the gym in an attempt to keep myself busy enough for the craving to pass.  Yet, as soon as I pulled in my driveway at 9:30PM, I said "NOPE!  It's still there."J  Hahahahahaha...but at that point of the night, I knew the only 'healthy' idea was to take a shower and just GO TO BED.

But I will say I was VERYYYYYY excited for coffee this morning...WITH unsweetened cocoa powder, PSJ

Soooo...is it going to be dreary EVERY Wednesday??  Yet another overcast/non-motivating one in Jersey.  Thankfully I'm SUPER pumped for power yoga this AM and VERY ready to dance to one of my FAVORITE Body Jam releases tonight.  That'll keep me 'on the path'J

Have a great Wednesday, everyoneJ 

Mix of highs & lows...

 ...CALORIES, that isJ

Morning, everyone!  Hope you guys had a great Memorial day weekendJ  If MONTHS can fly by in a blink and it surprises me how fast it goes, it REALLY shouldn't surprise me that three day weekends go by even quicker....and yet it SHOCKS me every timeJ hahahahahah

On the food front, we kept this weekend with a great mix of "keepin it healthy" & "keepin it fun"J

On Friday, we kicked off the weekend with (PORTIONED!) plates of spaghetti (or as Katie said: "bisghetti"J) and these little yummy mini pudding pies...

Mini phyllo cups filled with low-fat pudding and topped with light whipped cream.  These take 2 minutes to make and make for a total sweet tooth fix.  We love them....except that the phyllo dough sticks to your teeth like CRAZY.  You've been warnedJ

Saturday night brought us some homemade PF Chang's Lettuce wraps...

...I followed this exact recipe, except I added a 1/2 bag of cole slaw mix.  It managed to REALLY stretch out the 1/2 pound of ground turkey into 7 lettuce wraps (2 for me, 4 for Scott & 1 for Katie).  Katie, meanwhile, honed her 'wrap skills' quite wellJ 

I tried to make a 'salad & turkey' plate for her, but OH NO!  She saw Mommy & Daddy 'wrapping,' so she was gonna join in the funJ

The filling only took a tumble out of the back twiceJ  We'll chalk that up to a victoryJ

We also finished off Saturday night with a little treat:  COOKIE BUTTER POPCORN to be exact! 

All I did was pop some corn, microwave 2 tablespoons of cookie butter along with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil for 30 seconds (or until it was thinned out) and then give the cookie butter & a shake of sea salt a toss with the popcorn... 

I'm just gonna go out on a limb & say that the whole grain goodness of the popcorn totally canceled out the calories from the cookie butter....(I mean, RIGHT??J )  Either way, we kept our portions low enough so COOKIE BUTTER POPCORN can fit into any day of the weekJ

And then things descended into maddnessJ  Kid.  I kidJ  But Sunday brought our 'Memorial weekend foodie road trip' as we headed up to Rahway, NJ and took in this little gem known as "Kim's in the Mix."

To say this place was BEYOND charming, sweet & adorable is an understatement.  Add to that is the family atmosphere where we were served with a SMILE from Kim's Mom, Andre.  She was so sweet that we were sharing pictures of Katie with her by meals endJ

And on top of THAT, the food was OUTSTANDING.  We started with the unnecessary, but TOTALLY worth itJ, cheesy hush puppies...

Neither of us could pass these up after not being able to remember the last time either of us HAD hush puppiesJ  But these put all memories to rest with their SUPER CRISP exterior and savory with a hint of sweet interior.  DIVINE.

AND THEN CAME OUT THE BIG GUNS!!!!!

I had been talking up CHICKEN & WAFFLES ever since the first time I had them at Roscoe's in LA (almost 10 years ago...EEE!) and I was SO GLAD to FINALLY make Scott a believer in the magicJ  Sweet waffles topped with savory chicken....and that chicken, by the way, was some of the best I've ever had.  It tasted pan fried, rather than deep fried, and was moist and not greasy in the slightest.

I wish I had gotten a better picture of my sides of some of the best mac & cheese I've EVER eaten and one of the most amazing sides:  APPLES.  YES, THE APPLES!  I let Miss Andre pick out my '2nd side' and when she suggested apples, I was only slightly disappointing since FRIED CORN sounded REALLLLLY goodJ  But I am SO GLAD I took her advice since I don't know WHAT kinda magic they put in those simple apples that made them taste like a little cup of APPLE PIE.  And when you mix THOSE with the chicken & waffles...well, that definitely ranks up there with a bite worthy of your lastJ 

And I didn't even get a picture of Scott's dinner of pulled pork, collards, potato salad & cornbread...since we literally ate like wolves...

I DID eat mindfully and kept checking whether I was full after each bite, but after sharing & splitting our plates, I have no honest track of how much I chowed downJ

WORTH IT.

Oh, that's right.  And there was still dessert to be hadJ  Kim's cake menu ALONE was enough to get you in the door.  After Miss Andre explained the varieties she had available, she helped us pick out 2 good onesJ  Scott originally ordered the vanilla cake with chocolate layers and her response was something along the lines of "is that what you like?"  hahahahahahaha  She said it was good, but that this German Chocolate cake was "nice."  And given that her expertise was nailed with those aforementioned apples, we were definitely NOT afraid to take her recommendation...

I had 2 bites of the German chocolate (which Scott LOVED), but I can't honestly say I remembered it too much as I was in my oblivion from my dessert:  BANANA PUDDING CAKE!

Miss Andre told us how this was the restaurant's signature dessert & had many article write ups and awards.  How the hell am I gonna pass THAT up???  And even in the face of PINEAPPLE COCONUT CAKE, I knew I had to order this one up...

And much like apples, again Miss Andre's suggestion was one of the best things I've ever tasted.  Holy hell, just looking at that picture is making my mouth waterJ  Sweet vanilla cake SHROUDED in creamy, dreamy banana pudding topped with sliced bananas.  It was TOUGH to stop at HALF, but my FULLNESS had DEFINITELY reached its peak by this pointJ  I was thankful this thing was served in a to-go container, as the leftovers certainly made the trek home with meJ  

We can't say enough sweet things about "Kim's in the Mix" and it's SUPERB service and crazy, wonderful food.  DEFINITELY a place where you can 'taste the love' in the food and leave feeling like you just sat down for dinner with a kind & sweet family.  Love, love, love!  If you're ever in the Rahway area...DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE!

Anndddddd after our big lunch/dinner (linnerJ) on Sunday, we tried to start off our day Monday on a little bit of a lighter note, with RED, WHITE & BLUE berry parfaits...(the white is courtesy of the brown sugar yogurt a la Pioneer Woman, sans the heavy cream, FYIJ)...

...followed quickly by a double gym session of advanced Pilates & Body Flow.  It was my first workout all weekend (wasn't feeling it Saturday and boxing class was canceled on Sunday), but it felt OH SO GOOD to get my body back in 'exercise motion' yesterday morning.  I was OK with my 'break' and then just READY to get up and get started again.  THAT'S how ya gotta do it.  NO GUILT!  Just movin forwardJ

OH yeah...and it did help me feel A LITTLE bit better about our 'traditional meal' of all the picnic goods...

I didn't plan on it, but went back for seconds (or thirds) of my friend's 'famous' baked beans and INCREDIBLE avocado-studded orzo salad.  I could have eaten the ENTIRE bowl of that salad had I been left to my own devices and 'scale ignoranceJ hahahahaha

Oh yeah...and we also had corn on the cob with my traditional "Katie eating corn" picture...because I can't get enough of the cuteness levelJ

And we finished off the weekend with a group-decided new favorite dessert:  Heavenly Blueberry & Cream Angel Dessert...(which I made in mini mason jars for portion control for the ladiesJ)  No worries- the guys got to devour out of a bowlJ)

Layers of (low-fat) cream cheese laced angel food cake, fresh whipped cream & sweet blueberries made this a definite winner.  The angel food cake layer actually tasted like CHEESECAKE...with a fraction of the calories & fat.  I have a feeling this is going to be a summer staple around these parts.  It was as divine as it was easy to make.

ALRIGHT...THAT was a lotJ  And in full disclosure, I weighed myself, as usual, on Monday morning (post-Kim's, but pre-picnic) and was VERY pleased with the results.  Made me happy that despite our SPLURGE meal at Kim's, our healthy choices for every other meal the REST of the weekend kept it all in check.  It's what I always say:  BALANCE IS KEY!  Although today's order of the day is CHUGGING WATER!  Definitely didn't do enough of that over the weekendJ

HAVE A GREAT TUESDAY!J