If It Were Easy, Everyone Would Do It

This was by far the hardest post for me to write since I started this blog last summer. I didn't even know where to start, as there is so much I could talk about. When I started this blog I promised above all else to be open and honest. 

Next week I am going to have good/positive news to share, and I am MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER, so please stick with me. (I have also made some of my best recipes to date the past few days that I can't wait to share.)

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And it starts - you think you are looking better. You fit in sizes and clothes you haven't in awhile. People are starting to notice your weight loss and you ease up a bit...

"Sure I can have a hamburger for dinner one day, pizza the next, cheese at a party, christmas cookies...I am still working out it won't matter that much."

That's how it started for me in December. I knew it was a slippery slope, but I avoided the scale as "it was the holidays and all." Then I was much better in the beginning of January doing a 10-day serious detox of sorts, but that led up to a crazy weekend of a black-tie affair with great dinner and a crazy concert the next night with lots of drinks (and corresponding food). I think that weekend single handedly undid everything I had done the previous 10 days. I am not making excuses - it didn't have to - I could have approached that whole weekend differently, but I gave myself license to do whatever I wanted, as I thought I had deserved it after the detox. I was not the friend to myself that I should've been.

Ok, so now we're up to late January, and from my last post you can see that I had frustration with the whole return of the running injury. What I didn't mention in the post is that I was leaving for my first vacation alone with my husband since having kids. We went to a beautiful place with warm weather. I also gave myself license there - "it was vacation and all and I deserved a break from my routine." Sugary pool drinks every day and big dinners every night. It was a great time, but I did pay for it. I am up 4 pounds since December. Which puts me at -16 since I started keeping track.

Needless to say, recently I haven't been following my core principals that I had laid out in July/August. And I can tell you for all that "fun" I thought I was letting myself have - I was more depressed than ever about all of it especially in January. (only the vacation part was worth it for me).

I got back from vacation this weekend, and since Sunday I have been 100% dedicated to changing my life to be healthy for good. 

I am working on slowly building up running again every other day, and not pushing it too hard. I'm letting go and trusting the process as it is very hard for me not to run more. To make up for the limited running cardio, I have been religiously doing the stairmaster (and those who have been following the blog for awhile know it's not my favorite)! And let me tell you, after a few weeks off it was SO hard to get through an hour workout again. I wanted to stop about 1/4 into my stairmaster workout at 6AM this morning, but I pushed through it. And on alternate days I have been doing yoga and strength training.

MY TWO-WEEK GOAL: lose 4 pounds.

MY LONG-TERM GOAL: lose 17 pounds by the end of April.

I know the goals are aggressive, but I am really committed. I wanted to lay out a big goal to work for in public because I know I can do it. 

I am getting back to basics following my core healthy eating principles that helped me lose the original 20 pounds:

 1.Eating more natural, healthier foods

 2.Eating reasonable portions

 3.Eating well balanced meals

 4.Eating a variety of foods, with lots of vegetables.

 5.Only eating when I am hungry

Thanks for your continued support.

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: Little Lion Man- Mumford and Sons

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Chicken Lettuce Wraps (delicious!!!!)

A friend of mine brought these to my house for a get together and I had to get the recipe. Apparently the original recipe is from Jennifer Aniston's trainer. I wanted to cook something healthy for Superbowl Sunday and this is what I made. Thanks for the great recipe Kate!

*next week's recipe will be a quick weeknight dinner.

Tips:

These took a fairly long time to make. I would recommend cutting everything in advance and then cooking separately. Also - you can make ahead and simmer on low until you are ready to eat. They make great leftovers too!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This picture doesn't do these justice! 

THE FILLING

2 T. peanut oil

2 t. sesame oil

24 shitake mushrooms, finely chopped

- I used a combo of shitake & gourmet mushroom blend.

2 large carrots, very finely chopped

4 scallions, very finely chopped

2 t. minced ginger

1 t. minced garlic

2 lbs. ground chicken

1/2 t. pepper

2 small cans water chestnuts, drained and finely diced

THE SAUCE

1 cup soy sauce

4 T. seasoned rice wine vinegar

4 T. orange juice

4 T. brown sugar

4 T. water

3 T. cornstarch

1 t. chili flakes

4 T. oyster sauce

THE LETTUCE CUPS

2 heads iceberg lettuce (I used leafy red romaine for a bit more nutrition)

1) For the sauce, mix all ingredients together, set aside.

2) Heat large nonstick skillet over med-high heat.  When pan is hot add peanut and sesame oils.  Saute mushrooms, carrots, scallions, ginger and garlic for 4-5 mins.

3) Add chicken and cook, stir to break up the meat.

4) When chicken is almost cooked, add pepper and sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 5-6 minutes.

5) Remove pan from heat, stir in water chestnuts, spoon into lettuce cups and serve!

Believe - Trust - Change

Believe in yourself, trust the process, change forever. 

This was one of trainer Bob Harper's facebook status updates this week. And I love it - especially coming from him, as I find him super inspiring.

This is something I really need to do, now.

I have hit another bump in the road with running (see running update*). It started to get me down this week, as I've also had a really tough week mentally and could really use that runner's high (there's nothing quite like it.) What frustrates me more than anything is that I don't want to have up to ramp up my running super slowly again a.k.a. "trusting the process". But I will, and although I am a super impatient person, I would rather be able to eventually run for 10 miles than not run at all. 

This week as a diversion to my running absence, in addition to the stairmaster, I started doing a kettlebells DVD routine. I really loved working with the kettlebells, but I could barely walk down the stairs for a few days after I did it (no joke). The below article made me feel alot better about it. If you haven't tried kettlebells - do it! They are alot of fun and you will work muscles you didn't even know you had. I am looking forward to building these new muscles up! 

NOTE: If you are sore after kettlebells check out this article:

http://www.articlesbase.com/womens-health-articles/dealing-with-postkettlebellworkout-soreness-1218607.html

Please feel free to leave any feedback via the comments below or on my facebook page that you can link to on the right side of this page.

*Running Update: Unfortunately the shin splint came back in my right leg :(. After talking to a trainer and a "shoe expert" it was basically due to too much too soon. Go figure. Those who know me well know that I have kind of an all or nothing mentality. When starting running you aren't supposed to increase your weekly mileage more than 10% per week, and I was over doubling mine. I am more frustrated about this than I can properly express. So now I am just letting it heal a bit more - I also got over-the-counter insoles for my running shoes from a running store - hopefully they will help too.

Weight Update: I just didn't have it in me to weigh myself this week. I will be back with the next post on the 7th(ish) with a weigh-in update and am hoping to have maintained the 20 lb. weight loss. In that post I will also set a 2-week weight loss goal to get me mentally better back on track and losing more quickly again now that the holiday madness is over and I know where I stand running wise (meaning that I need to work in other supplemental forms of exercise!)

SONG THAT KEPT ME ON THE STAIRMASTER THIS WEEK: Meet Me Halfway - Black Eyed Peas. 

The Black Eyed Peas are my favorite overall group to run/workout to. This is more mellow than the usual ones that pump me up but for some reason this song really does it for me. I love it!

RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: Try goji berries. They are up-and-coming superfood. You can find dried goji berries at health food stores. They are supposed to also help with sleep and mental focus! Which I could use both of. 
THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Superbowl Buffalo Chicken Casserole!

I originally saw this recipe in Eating Well magazine (Sept/Oct 2010). I had to try it for a few different reasons. 1. I am always looking for make-ahead recipes. 2. One of my guilty pleasures is buffalo wings dipped in blue cheese. (specifically BW3 spicy garlic). 3. It sounded kind of adventurous. It makes SO much. I put in two pans and gave one to my parents. This recipe was husband and parent approved.  Although it's not as good as the real thing - it has alot of flavor and is really hearty. It would be the perfect dish to serve at a Superbowl party!

WARNING: If you do not like Frank's Red Hot and do not like blue cheese, you will not like this recipe!

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

8 servings (they say - I say it's alot more than 8!) | Active Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

This picture was taken before it was baked

• 12 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 3 medium stalks celery, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 4 cups low-fat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons hot sauce, preferably Frank’s RedHot
• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 ounces)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil. Cook noodles until barely tender, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
3. Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk cornstarch and milk in a medium bowl; add to the pot along with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until bubbling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in hot sauce.
4. Spread the noodles in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish. Top with the chicken mixture; sprinkle with blue cheese.
5. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Per serving : 441 Calories; 12 g Fat (note - this is for a huge serving as I think this recipe makes alot more than 8 servings!)

• Make Ahead Tip: In Step 2, cook the noodles 4 minutes less than package directions. Prepare through Step 4, cover and refrigerate for 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then bake at 400°F for 45 minutes.

Best Friend

Last night I read an interview with a big-time trainer who was asked how he can convince people who have struggled with losing weight to believe in themselves. He said "We have the choice to be our worst enemy or our best friend."

I have self-sabatoged myself for years, like a worst enemy would. I am starting to act like more like a good friend and am working towards a being a best friend to myself - mind and body. I guess my own BFF.

Tonight (honestly) when thinking "should I take the easy route out for dinner and get a pizza?... it's been a hard day, I'm tired, it's so easy and I want that cheesy-carb comfort"....I thought that's not how a best friend would treat themselves and went a different route. 

The trainer's point of view clearly hit home to me, and I am going to think about being my best friend a lot. Not only in food choices but in activity choices. Sometimes if I can get the kids to take a nap at the same time (a super super rare feat in this house), I am going to treat myself like a best friend and do something like catch up on reading or doing something personally productive.

On a separate note, it's been a long time since I've had a real post - and I am glad to be back - these holidays took a toll on me. They were great in terms of great times and fun with friends and family but really bad in terms of the food choices I made (which included things like large quantities of gourmet cheeses, sugar cookies, peppermint bark, and red wine.) Hello - I'm human and was bad :(. 

I gave myself license to go crazy in some regards, although I did exercise religiously and have now been running every other day. I was scared to get on the scale, as I could tell I had gained at least a few lbs. back. So starting in early January I did a short detox of sorts to try to press my "reset" button, and get my body used to eating mainly healthy whole foods again. I'm back and hopefully better than ever - I will have a weigh in update next week (if it's pretty or not) as well as a great healthy make-ahead superbowl party recipe!.

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Because I'm Awesome" The Dollyrots (I think the lyrics are funny, the song is really upbeat, plus if you are having a bad day you can remind yourself that you are awesome. lol)

RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: A "smoothie" made with water (vs. dairy or soy milk) is a great, low-calorie way to get some fruit and veggies in. I sometimes have been having one when the kids eat dinner, so I can hold off until a later dinner without eating their scraps or snacking on bad stuff.

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Provencal Soup (modified from a Mark Bittman recipe). Added bonus green smoothie recipe too!

I can not highly enough recommend Mark Bittman's cookbook - The Food Matters, 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living. Natural food, minimal ingredients cooked well. It and he are great. The soup is a great recipe if you want to get more veggies into your diet, and it is also great for a cold day.

Provencal Soup

1/4 cup of olive oil (I used a little less than this)

1 large onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, smashed or chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes

1 large or 3 small zucchini, chopped

2 red bell peppers, chopped

3 cups of chopped tomatoes (canned are fine, include their juice)*

*I used canned because tomatoes are out of season so canned are actually "fresher"

3 cups of chicken, vegetable stock, or water. (i used chicken)

1/4 cup of black olives pitted and chopped

1/2 cup of fresh basil, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese for garnish (optional) 

1. Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it's hot add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook stirring until the onion begins to turn golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add the eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to med-low. Cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have broken up and the eggplant and zucchini are super tender, about 45 minutes. (Awesome MB tip: the soup can be made up up to this point and refrigerated for several days or frozen for months; gently reheat before proceeding). Stir in the olives and basil in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Sever garnished with more basil and parm.

Green Drink

This amount serves 2

(and it's much better if you drink it through a straw and also a festive wine glass helps!)

1 cup kale or collard greens - firmly packed, ribs removed if kale!
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 granny smith apple - cored and chopped
1 large ripe banana
2 1/4 cups of water (I like to add a few ice cubes)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth - if it's too thick add a little water

113 calories per serving