Staying on track while on vacation.

I recently went to Las Vegas with my mom to see my family.  I told myself I was going to be good while endulging a little....  Though I did well at times, I also gained 4 pounds in 3 days!!!  After reflecting on what I did, and didn't do, I came up with a list of Do's and Don'ts for going on vacation and staying true to your new lifestyle changes.

DO's
-remember your goals
-bring your own snacks and foods so you're not tempted with unhealthy ones
-treat yourself (responsibly)
-continue to work out (window shop, hike, swim in the hotel pool, use the hotel gym, etc)
-carry water with you everywhere
-Have Fun!

DON'Ts
-make multiple trips to the buffet
-skip working out all week/weekend
-eat every bit of the 8 course meal! (try every course though)
-let your family and friends tell you "you're on vacation" "calories don't count here" or "you're too thin already"

After my 4 mile hike in the desert!

Eat More Quinoa!

Here are 3 Quinoa recipes that I've been making lately that I love and wanted to share!  In case I haven't mentioned I eat mostly vegan and vegetarian food, so you won't find a lot of meat or cheeses in my recipes.  I do have seafood from time to time, so one of these has shrimp.

Shrimp and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

1/2 lbs shrimp (sauteed & cut up)

*I saute in lemon zest and garlic

1/2 cup cooked black beans (non canned preferred)

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 orange cut in to small pieces

1/2 cup frozen sweet corn

2 green onions chopped

1/2 red pepper chopped

1/2 small onion chopped

1 lemon

2 tbs EVOO

2 garlic cloves crushed

pinch of pepper

After ingredients are cooked, cut, and ready to go mix together in bowl.  Mix lemon juice, EVOO, garlic, and pepper together well.  Pour over mixture and stir.  Eat up!

Quinoa & Zucchini

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 zucchini chopped

1 yellow pepper chopped

2 kale leaves chopped

1 celery stalk chopped

1 can mandarin oranges

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

2 green onions

2 garlic cloves

1 lime

2 tbsp EVOO

Saute zucchini, pepper, celery, and onion in EVOO and garlic.  After about 5 minutes add kale.  Once veggies have softened, but still have some crunch, remove and add to large bowl.  Mix in cooked quinoa, green onions, and oranges.  Squeeze lime juice over mixture and stir.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Southwest Quinoa & Chips

(maybe my favorite of them all!)

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 small tomato chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

2/3 cup frozen sweet corn

1/2 red pepper chopped

1/2 green pepper chopped

1 cup black beans cooked

1 garlic clove

1 tbs EVOO

1/2 lime

1 tbs taco sauce/hot sauce

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp pepper

cilantro to garnish

Corn chips

Heat garlic and EVOO.  Add onion, peppers, and corn until peppers begin to soften.  Once beans, quinoa, and veggies are all cooked mix together in bowl.  Add taco sauce, lime juice, cumin and pepper and stir.  Eat with chips!

*tip for cooking quinoa:  Soak or rinse in cold water prior to cooking.  Use only slightly more water than quinoa i.e. 1/2 cup quinoa=3/4 cup water.  Heat on med-low heat covered and do not stir.  Watch carefully when end time nears, quinoa burns easily. 



Day 43

Weight: just under 134 lbs!
Workouts: going well....5-6 days a week.  This week I added scissors to my ab set and wall sits to my leg routine.
Food: I've been sticking to my calories most days....some are easier than others!  Lot's of veggies and I've added a protein supplement on days I work out.  Pea Protein....vegetarian and all natural!  Plus, quinoa is my new best friend!  I'm going to share 3 of my favorite new quinoa recipes shortly. 

I finally took a new picture to compare with my "before" picture.  I'm about 6 weeks in, so I think I'm seeing some improvements!

Here's the before again...ugh!

this was me on January 30th

Recipes I love!

I try a new recipe every week.  Most are for dinner and lunch, but I also make snacks as well.  This week I've made an adaptation of a snack cup recipe I found on Pinterest.  I changed up several of the ingredients to make the snack healthier and all natural!  I'm calling them....

Sweet Snack Cups

Ingredients:

(for 1 batch, double for 24 cups)

Dry

1 cup Thick Rolled Oats (or any kind of oat meal)

1/2 cup almond (slices or chopped)

1 cup dried mixed berries

1/4 cup raisins

1 Tbs flax meal

1 Tbs wheat germ

2 Tbs raw sunflower seeds

Wet

1 Tbs Earth Balance natural buttery spread

1 Tbs agave nectar

1 Tbs Pure Maple Syrup

(you can substitute honey for either of the previous ingredients)

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl

Spray mini muffin pan(s) with olive oil/Pam

Heat wet ingredient in small sauce pan and mix well

Pour wet ing over dry ing and mix well

Spoon mixture into muffin pan and press into pan with spoon

Decrease heat to 300

Cook Sweet Snack Cups for 15 minutes

Remove and let cool 15-20 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack for 15 minutes.

Approximate nutritional value per cup:

Calories: 118  Fat: 4 g  Carbs 19 g 

Coming Soon!

Green Smoothies!

Quinoa & Shrimp Salad

Veggie & Bean Soup



The Burpee

The next 2 weeks I will be incorporating various Burpee moves into my routines.  Last night was my first round, and dannnng they kicked my butt!  I could only do 20!  I have a lot of work to do!  Here are the burpees I was doing last night.  I didn't attempt the challege, just used the video to make sure I was doing the move right.

Dead Man's Burpee



No Excuses!

Also, a tip for not skipping work outs because it's too late, or your show is on, or this or that....  I've been bringing my mat into the living room after I do my cardio and doing my weight sets and burpees during the commercials while watching TV.  Since all the shows I watch just started back up and I work until 6 or 7 at night (and I'm not a morning person) this has been working out great for me!  I get to catch up on Gossip Girl and Grey's Anatomy and work out at the same time!  Not having enough time is always an excuse....the time is there you just have to find it!

Need some inspiration?

An inspiration close to me is my mom!  In February 2010 I got engaged and my mom decided she wanted to lose weight for my wedding and get healthy.  I never imagined the transformation she was going to make!  My mom's weight had been up and down since I was a kid and she was notorious for drinking a lot of Pepsi and having a limited diet of fried foods and few fruits and vegetables.  My mom chose Weight Watchers to help her loose weight.  Her original goal was to lose 50 lbs.  Today she has lost almost 90!  Here is a picture of my mom shortly after she began her journey in our new house Sept 2010.

Today my mom has introduced salads, fruits, and water to her diet.  She rarely drinks sodas or alcohol and also limits fast foods.  My mom walks on her treadmill several times a day and also walks her dog around the neighborhood and at the dog park.  Here she is at my wedding in May 2011.

Since that picture was taken my mom has continued to lose weight and stick with her WW points and exercise.  She is now in the maintenance phase, but continues to lose pounds and ounces here and there!  Everyone is so proud of her success and continued dedication!  When I'm thinking I want to give up I remember if my mom can loose 90lbs I can loose 10 and get toned up!  Here's a more recent picture of what my mom looks like from September 2011, about a year after she began her lifestyle change and about 80lbs down.

(next she needs to quit smoking!)

Day 22

Weight: 136 lbs (slowly, but surely...)
Food: I've been doing pretty good eating healthy.  I did go out to Pizza Shoppe for a work function last Friday...Pizza is not a good choice for me!
Workouts: worked out 6 days last week!

Goo Goo for Gaga

She's crazy...but she's also in shape.  All that dancing keeps her toned and lean!  This week I'm rocking out to some Gaga!

Bad Romance (love this video too)

Love Game (dance those calories off)

Marry the Night (long video)