To Quote the Great Ms. Spears…

“Im a slave for you” and by “you” I of course mean the scale. This week has been frustrating. Ive hopped on the scale every morning (which I know is a huge no no) and it hasnt moved an inch or even a smidge of an inch. The scale and I were so tight for the first 6 weeks of this journey. He’d inch down and down and Id do my part to keep things going. But now, apparently we are at that part of the relationship where before we would part ways and I would go back to my old bad habits. This time though things are going to be different. It stands to reason that after 6 weeks my body is used to the routine so I am going to switch things up a bit. On my cross training days which are Wednesdays I am going to eat a few of my weekly points (just a few. Not going to get crazy) and allow myself a few (as needed) on Saturdays. I am hoping the extra calories will encourage my body to stop holding onto the weight so the scale and I can get back on good terms. I am also challenging myself to get back on track with my good health guidelines outlined in the weight watchers program so that I am getting the veggies, fruits, grains, and dairy I need daily. I will talk more about that soon.

I started out my morning with my normal Vitatop, turkey sausage, and V8 fusion. I am really wanting to get my protein in some other way. Like I mentioned last week I am toying with the idea of a breakfast smoothie called a “Green Monster” (click the link to learn more about them). Tons of bloggers swear by them for making a healthful and filling breakfast choice. I have never actually made a smoothie so this intimidates me a little. Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Maybe giving these a try will be a hill goal for next week.

At lunch I had some fabulous left over stir fry. (Arent all those peppers pretty??) and a cup of fresh berries. I usually dont buy the pre-washed/pre-cut berries but these were just calling out to me!

Work was busy today but good busy. I have converted another girl into the yellow hand-bag posse. Im starting a revolution! 🙂 When I was in Orlando for the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon I went shopping and might have stopped in Coach. Ahem. I have been carrying this bag ever since (the photo doesnt do it justice. Its all buttery yellow in real life). From then on I have watched one co-worker friend at a time start sporting a yellow bag for Spring. I love it! I want to convert as many people as I can before the summer is over. 🙂 Its like carrying a little bit of sunshine on my arm.

I was starved when I got home so I snacked on some All Bran Crackers and hummus. I love hummus and this flavor did not disappoint. Although, I might have called it pretty spicy and supremely tasty instead of supremely spicy.What is your favorite flavor hummus? How do you eat your hummus-on veggies, on crackers, in a wrap etc?

Now I am headed out for some cross training and stretching. I am holding so much tension in my neck and back a nice long stretch is just what I need. Have you ever done yoga? Did you find it helpful?

Happy Wednesday night friends!

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Grocery Store Wish List

There comes a time every few weeks when I have to get creative with my meals. Sadly I don’t mean creative in the “hey lets try something new and fabulous” way but rather the “Sara Renee put off going to the  grocery store for too long and what can we mix together to make a meal” way. Today was one of those days. 🙂 Luckily this means that a major food shopping trip is coming up which I love. I am dying to try a few new items and these are on my list:
* Oikos Greek Yogurt
* Silk Almond Milk
* Bear Naked Granola
* Ezekiel Bread English Muffins
*Newman’s Own Organic Hermits Cookies
Do any of you other healthy eaters have a “must buy” product I should try? I am excited for some suggestions! Im especially looking for an almond butter suggestion for smoothies/oatmeal.

I had the same breakfast as yesterday but did snack on one of my favorite flavor CLIFF bars mid afternoon.  I pretty much love all things CLIFF bar (even the kid ones) but this one is my stand by.

My day at work was so incredibly busy that I was all packed up in the Wonder~Bug (yes even my car has a nickname. I was so not kidding about the nickname thing) and ready to head home before I knew it.

Today was a cross training day at the gym. I did 40 minutes (40 HARD minutes) but I felt fantastic after. There is something so great about that intense cardio. It is a different kind of good than I get from running. Its like running is my boyfriend and cardio at the gym is the hot guy that works at Starbucks (fabulous but not something to flirt with daily). Im finding that I always want to go back to the running.(Im sure Bryan loves this example but you get what I mean).  Since Im not training for a 1/2 marathon right now I am going to be changing up my routine a little soon. More on that to come.

Speaking of running I have a 5K coming up this weekend. It is the “Point of Honor” 5K. Both the words “point” and “honor” are leading me to believe that this might be an up-hill scary run. We shall see. As I mentioned yesterday I am running this race with a “real” runner so I will get to ask all sorts of questions about the things I’m still not sure about.  I will hang with her  as long as I can but I  am ok with going it alone once I reach that point where I cant keep her pace. I am kind of excited since this is my first race since the Disney Princess 1/2.  Its going to be fun.

I use the phrase “real runner” a lot. I don’t know at what point I will start to think of myself as a runner versus just someone who runs. I actually had a cool experience on the trail yesterday. One of my biggest issues has been I am spazzy when I run. My pace is all over the place, my breathing all crazy. However, yesterday I was running off road and it was just so peaceful. I hit a comfortable stride, had controlled and deep breaths, and I went way further without a walk break than I have ever been before. It felt great and just really really fueled my desire to get even better/stronger/faster. I will have 1 (possibly 2) more runs before the race on Saturday.

Since someone (ahem) let the food shopping slide and Bryan is out to dinner with his brother I picked up an organic extra thin crust pizza for dinner topped with chicken/red onion/peppers/cheese and a garlic sauce. I only ate 1/2 of it as I was not crazy about the taste but I definitely finished my serving of pineapple. YUM!

I have a full TIVO and blogs to catch up on tonight. I never knew just how many people there were out there blogging about healthy living.  Sometimes the best feeling is just knowing that I am not doing this alone. Harlow likes that too. 🙂

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Tuesday Blues (and Greens)

Im just going to put it out there. Tuesdays are my least favorite day of the week. There is not the weekend buffer you have going into Monday and the light at the end of the work week tunnel seems SO far.Plus our office has staff meetings on Tuesdays which can be stressful.All in all Tuesdays=Yuck in my world so I try to do little things to un-yucky my Tuesdays. I prefer happy so I make my own when needed.

This morning I started with one of my favorite breakfasts: Egg whites with a touch of green pepper, onions, and mushrooms (when I have them on hand) on an Arnold sandwich thin (pictured below) or a whole grain English muffin. Then I like to add a ½ serving of shredded fat free or 2% cheddar on top. I also chopped ½ a patty of left over lean turkey sausage from the weekend and sprinkled it on top. (A little goes a long way). I love the protein, veggie, grain, dairy combo.

I also wore  my favorite spring ensemble minus the two dashing princes and tiara. Maybe next time!

My final secret weapon was making a snack of my most favorite organic chocolate milk and a banana. Here is a link if you want to sign up with them for a couple of coupons.  Go here and click on coupons to sign up, grab a couple of coupons and give them a try. The individual serving milks are my favorite and easy to tuck into my bag and then stash in the fridge at work.

Leaving work I was somehow all smiles (maybe my un-yuck tricks really work!!) and Bryan and I went on a jog at the trail. We did ok with the hilly terrain (well ok for us as we are new to this) with 3 1/2 miles in 44:53 minutes.  I am running with one of my “real runner” friends in a 5k this weekend (more on that tomorrow) so I am going to have to step it up a little.

Tonight’s dinner was “Buffalo Sloppy Joe” salad, yet another “healthified” Rachel Ray creation. I start with this basic recipe and sub 99% fat free ground turkey breast for the chicken, add in a touch more veggie and slightly less brown sugar than called for. I also go HEAVY on the hot sauce. The hotter the better! Then dump it on a bed of mixed greens and chop whatever veggies you like and toss them on top. I also omit the cheese normally but have at it if you have the calories for it.Yum!

We made some baked potato wedges in the oven (with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt) for a side.  I am trying to get brave enough to try the carrot and parsnip fries I saw on this blog. I think they look fantastic and yummy! Maybe next week I’ll give that a try and let you know how it turns out for me. Im really looking forward to creatively working more veggies into the meal plan. Maybe that will be one of my upcoming “hill” goals (more on that later in the week).

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