Relax and Prep for the Week

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Any fun new adventures? Mine was pretty low key but very nice and relaxing

I got to spend time with my family Saturday and then friends Saturday night. Sunday I finished my errands, prepared for the upcoming week, and relaxed a lot!I stayed with my Weight Watchers points for most of the week, but last night I did dip into my weeklies as I enjoyed some sweet potato chips.

For me, preparing for the week means meal prepping. I know that if I don't cook food ahead of time I will without a doubt eat the wrong foods and then feel very yucky! The last few weeks I have kept it pretty simple and the same, crockpot shredded chicken. I love it.

Crockpot shredded chicken...so easy to make!!

Shredded Chicken:
- Chicken breast:  I usually put in about 4 thick pieces.
- Chicken Broth:  My favorite is Pacific Brand. I just put a enough in the crockpot to cover the bottom and touch the sides of the chicken. You really don't need much, this just makes sure it doesn't dry out. 

Pacific Brand is super delicious!

- Spices that you like: I love Bragg Mix

I love Braggs. I also use this brand for my apple cider vinegar

Put everything in the crockpot. I set mine for 6.5 hours on high. It will also depend on how thick your chicken is and if you are putting in frozen or not. Yes I have forgotten to defrost and put them in frozen, they taste just as delicious!!

At my Weight Watchers meeting last week we talked about switching things up to make sure you don't get bored of the food you are eating, when you get bored you get off track. I couldn't agree more for myself!! So for this week, in addition to my shredded chicken I am also cooking up some 93% lean beef burgers. I found them at Target and love them! I cook them up in a skillet and usually mix with a salad or side veggies. 

Target find!  They were also on sale..score!!

Cooked on the skillet. Quick and easy to do

In addition, I picked up strawberries and bananas instead of my routine oranges. 

I'm looking forward to see how my week goes and my weigh-in Wednesday with me switching things up. 

Do you meal prep? If you do I would love to know what you are making. I'm always looking for new ideas.

On a Quest for Protein

One of the biggest things I have come realize is the large role food plays in our daily lives. I don't just mean because it tastes good or stops your stomach from grumbling during a meeting. I have noticed how certain foods make me feel. Some fuel me for a workout while others make me want to take a nap. Finding the right food for me to eat before working out has become a large part of my journey. I have discovered some really good food options, check out my chicken in a can blog post for that delicious option, I absolutely love eating that on just my cardio days. On days when I train with Mark I am really pushing myself and started feeling like I need a little something extra. I asked around the gym and found a lot of people drink protein shakes or eat protein bars. The next time I was good shopping I checked some labels and was bummed. A lot of them are FULL of carbohydrates, high calories, made with soy, gluten, tons of sugar, and not what I wanted. There goes that idea I thought, until one day on twitter someone mentioned QuestBars. I decided to check them out and was very pleasantly surprised.

My favorite flavor of QuestBar
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

The QuestBars weren't full of sugar at all, low in calories, gluten free, low in carbs, not full of so many crazy ingredients that I can't even pronounce. I was excited, but thought how good could these taste. I found out they sell them at the GNC down the street and off I went. I picked up a bunch of different flavors like, chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, white chocolate raspberry, and apple pie. These are just a few of the flavors they offer. The next day before my workout with Mark I ate the chocolate chip cookie dough bar. I loved that I was able to eat it in the car on the way to the gym, my meeting ran late and I wouldn't have had time to sit down with a fork and eat anything else.  So how did it taste you ask?  DELICIOUS!!!!  I loved it. Perfect texture, perfect flavor, didn't leave a weird after taste or leave me craving for more sugar or bad stuff.  Now the big question...how did it hold up against a Mark workout? PERFECT!  I was well fueled throughout the workout and even earned the nickname tiny beast.  I now have a bar before every workout.

There are so many different delicious flavors for you to choose from
Trust me you won't get bored!

I tried most of the other flavors and have to say the chocolate chip cookie dough and cookies and cream bars are my favorite. I buy them by the box at GNC. I have also used them as a dessert substitute. There aren't many desserts I can enjoy these days without feeling yucky after or guilty. One night after having dinner with my family I felt a little blah because I wanted the dessert, but knew I would regret it. I remembered I had a bar stashed in my purse so I took it out and got to enjoy dessert with everyone else without feeling guilty. I wouldn't recommend doing that all the time as the bars are high in protein, but for the occasional treat with friends and family I say indulge and have fun.

The box description talked me into giving them a try
so very glad I did

For more information about the Quest bars and ingredients check out the Quest website at http://www.questnutrition.com/ingredients/

Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with Quest. I just love their product and wanted to share my new favorite find!!

Holiday Weight Loss Determination

I know it's been a while since my last post, I'm sorry about that, the month flew and I got swept along with it. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't workout as much and some days I slacked in watching what I ate. The end result....no weight loss and hardly any inches lost. On the positive side, seeing the numbers not change has snapped me back into gear. With the holidays approaching I know it can be a scary time for those of us trying to get in shape and be healthy; parties, food, drinking, and crazy schedules.

True, so true!
http://www.shoestoshiraz.com/2014/11/fitness-and-me-through-ecards.html

I am not afraid this time around, I am determined! I will not let the winter blues sideline me, the parties are meant to be social and have fun not to eat all the food. Most important, my workouts!! I have my amazing trainer Mark, who keeps me constantly challenging myself and trying harder. The entire staff at the gym I go to is really fun to be around, I look forward to going and seeing every one. Tomorrow Mark and I are meeting to go over a plan and my goals for the next 6 months. I'm looking forward to it. I may have slacked last month, but this is a brand new month and the best present I can give myself, is taking care of me and not losing sight of that!!

You can't change the past, but you can use the knowledge you gained and grow from it!

How are you planning on staying healthy this holiday season?

Excellent Egg Muffins

As you know, I love eggs! They can be cooked so many different ways, combined with different foods, and so filling. 

I started back at my gym this week, which feels painful and wonderful at the same time, and I wanted to try switching up my pre-workout snacks. I was looking for something full of good protein and fat, not too high in calories, and of course low carb. One of the trainers I was talking to suggested making egg muffins. Egg muffins!  Why didn't I think of that. They are so easy to make and I can stick a couple in a zipblock bag to take with me. Off I went food shopping...

Ingredients: 

(Makes 12 muffins)

10 eggs

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

6-7 Broccoli florets

Salt

Pepper

Cooking Spray

Egg muffin ingredients; eggs, broccoli, cheese...sounds easy, because it is!

** You can use whatever cheese you like, and also add in any type of vegetable. I think next time I am going to try it with bacon added in. YUM! **

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray the muffin tin with the cooking spray. 

Crack all 10 eggs in bowl. I like to crack the eggs first just in case some shells sneak past me I can get them out easier. 

Cracking the eggs and trying to not get any shells slip past me

Mix the eggs up and then it's time to add the 1 cup of cheese (add more or less to your tasting).

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese added to the mixture

Since I am not the most professional or technical I just took a couple of broccoli florets and broke them apart with my fingers, it was quick and easy. Then just add your salt and pepper to taste.

Broccoli adds another level of nutrition and deliciousness

I used a 1/4 cup measuring spoon to make sure each muffin tin received the same amount of the mixture, it also helped me when figuring out the nutritional properties to enter into myfitnesspal. 

By using the measuring cup I knew exactly how much mixture
was going in each tin

Ready for the oven!

I set my timer for 15 minutes and was very excited to see how they turned out. Light and fluffy and delicious!!

Low calories, low carb, highly delicious egg muffins!

I love how easy they are to store!

These are an easy to store and quick to grab and go snack idea

I will definitely be making these again, just as soon I finish this first batch! 

Food Food...Everywhere!

Coming up is my big work convention. We spend so much time preparing and getting ready. Making sure everything runs smoothly, how the Events Director pulls everything together is really amazing. It's a really wonderful event to be part of, but also really exhausting!!

Silly girls...it's not time to pack yet!

We get up early and go to bed late. We, the staff, are pretty much all over the place making sure things run smoothly and every one of our guests are happy. In addition, this year I am really excited, because I was asked to take photos for my company. The convention not only has really wonderful education sessions, speakers, and classed, but it also has amazing delicious food! We start with a big lunch that includes sandwiches, soups, and lots of pastries. That's nothing compared to the dessert reception where you will find a chocolate fountain, cupcakes, pastries, cookies, you name it!! The following night our big dinner banquet includes Caesar salad, pasta dish, entree, and of course dessert. I'm stuffed thinking about it. 

Anyone want dessert? 

With the convention dates creeping closer I was really starting to worry. What would I eat? Last year was when I started noticing I was getting sick eating high carb and sugary meals/dessert. So it's not even that I don't WANT to eat all of that, but I really CAN'T! I know if I eat any of that I will be so sick and being sick is not fun any time, but especially at a huge work event...yikes! Turns out my amazing coworker had my back. She ordered me a Cobb salad for my lunch full of everything that I can eat and enjoy. For dinner I will have a house salad with oil and vinegar, steak and shrimp, and by then I will be so stuffed I won't need dessert. I am also planning on stashing some snacks in my purse just in case. Thanks to my coworkers taking care of me I can spend more time focused on work and enjoying the convention and less time on what my next meal might me.

Saw this on Pinterest and had to agree
Being healthy is hard work and more than just weight loss