About Me

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I am a former career girl and am now a stay-at-home-mom to 2 amazing little girls. Exercise and "dieting" have never been easy for me. But now more than ever, I am determined to adhere to a more active, healthy lifestyle. I am not dieting - just making smarter, more natural food choices. I want to set a great example for my girls. I starting running last year with the Couch-to-5K running program. I've lost over 35 pounds since last year and I want to lose 60 more. I completed my first race (a 5K) in October and I running a 10K by this summer. My long-term goal is ultimately to run a half-marathon in 2012. I've created this blog to put it all out there and most of all - to keep me honest. I include a tested recipe & inspiring workout song on each post. I am also hoping to inspire and be inspired by you! I would love for you to join me for this journey and become an official follower of this blog!
Showing posts with label take care of yourself. Show all posts
Showing posts with label take care of yourself. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

It's Ok to Take Care of Yourself

I read a great article in SELF magazine last month. It's about a woman who gained some weight for various reasons and felt too fat and embarrassed to return to the gym. I myself have felt "too fat for the gym" for many different reasons. I have also felt a little too guilty at times to take care of myself (like this woman has). This article is a great read for those who have struggled in this capacity.

It's gotten a little warmer here, so I've been able to run outside a few times, which has felt great. I even busted out what I now like to think as my signature - the running skirt. I still had to wear pants underneath but the fresh air and scenery are so much better than the dreadmill! :)


At my own weekly weigh-in I was disappointed to find that I didn't lose an ounce this week! I weigh myself on wii fit and it weighs to the decimal point. I repeated the weigh-in twice, and both times I was exactly the same as last week. This week I am really going to ramp it up! I think I ate out too much last week, which as we all know is a nightmare for those losing weight - even when you order healthy, it's just not the same as preparing food yourself. This week I am only going out to eat once. I am also going to focus on drinking more water, which I haven't been doing. Except big numbers for next week's update. :) I still want to lose 12 by the end of April.

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Dog Days Are Over", Florence + The Machine
RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: I hate wasting produce. Often my intentions with purchasing produce are better than what we can actually use in a week. And then before the week is up, I end up having to toss some - which I hate! I feel so guilty wasting. Well since I found green bags, I am wasting no more! I am currently OBSESSED with them. I think I first heard about them through Jillian Michaels. They make your produce last so much longer and are worth ever penny. They are even reusable. 
THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Crazy Good Chicken Enchiladas. My husband has been nice about my leaner recipes for the most part, but as soon as he took a bite of these on Monday night he said, "Wow, that's a keeper! Honestly these are so good." So take it from him and try them :). 
Crazy Good Chicken Enchiladas
-4 medium whole wheat tortillas
-3/4 cup of 2% extra sharp shredded cheese
(note: in the picture below i was a little more heavy handed, it was one of those days :)
For sauce:
-15 oz tomato sauce
-5 gloves of garlic minced
-2 tsp chile powder
-1 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp kosher salt
For chicken mixture:
-1 pound chicken breast, cooked and shredded*
-8 oz of canned crushed tomatillos (you can sub. green chiles)
-1 tsp hot sauce (I use Sriracha and a bit more since I like spice)
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp chile powder
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp ground pepper
-1/4 tsp kosher salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all chicken mixture ingredients in large non-stick pan over medium heat and cook a few minutes until heated through mixing well. Remove mixture from pan and place in bowl. Combine all sauce ingredients in same non-stick pan and cook about 10 minutes stirring well. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 8x11 or so dish. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake on center oven rack for 20 minutes. Let cool a few minutes. I love cilantro so I also sprinkled with cilantro, spring onions would be good too!
*Tip: This could be a labor intensive recipe if you try to cook everything at once. I poached and shredded double the amount of chicken during the day. Then I froze half the chicken (it defrosts quickly when it is shredded) - for future enchiladas or chicken salad. And I refrigerated the amount for this recipe until it was closer to dinner time so I had it on hand. 
Nutrition**: 360 calories, 9g of fat, of that 3 are sat. fat, 34 carb., 6g fiber, 38g protein. 9pp+
**note: you could reduce the calorie content by using small 5" whole wheat tortillas and making smaller portions. I would have, but the store I went to didn't have them. Or you could eat a half of one and have a size of veggies or salad. These are SO good don't pass them up!