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.

Kids, Bikes, and Pepperoni Oh My!

Once again I failed to keep up with my posting. I promise I will get better. Some highlights from  last weekend...

I was off Friday so I got a nice long weekend. I will try and do that more often. It was nice to be away from the office for a little. Back to the fun...my weekend was truly a mix of relaxing and fun. Friday afternoon I had my nieces, all to myself. This was a first and won't be the last! I love spending time with those girls so much. They even put together a list of goodies I should keep at my place for the next time they come over. I'm really looking forward to more opportunities over the summer to have them and spend time with them. I did sleep good that night! 

My nieces, Ashley and Kaitlyn! 

Saturday morning I went bicycle riding with my dad. Now that may not seem like much to some, but this was my first time on a bike since I was 12! My very brave dad let me borrow his spare bike, he got it all set for me, and took me out around town. I was so very nervous. He was very patient! At first I was wobbly and couldn't go straight, but towards the end of the ride I was mostly stable and enjoying. I could still use some work on my turns and stopping quickly. The only reason we stopped was because my butt was killing me! It's now 2 days later and my butt is still sore lol! I had a blast, might invest in a better seat so I can ride with him more. It was also really fun switching up my workout.  

Thankfully my coworker lent me a helmet

My dad! He was so patient and calm with me

Saturday afternoon was spent relaxing at the pool and then my mom, sister, and nieces came for fun in the pool. I was glad I brought a packet of almonds because I was hungry! Saturday night was spent at a friend's house just chatting around the table with goodies and having fun. The rest of the weekend was mostly relaxing and some errands.

I can't believe it's already coming to an end and back to work tomorrow, but I'm glad I enjoyed every minute I could. As for eating...well did you know Weight Watcher's weekly points can go into the negative? They can. I didn't drink or eat enough during the day and at night it usually backfired. I ate my pantry and at my friend's house I overate pepperoni and kielbasi. Sure it was better than chips and pretzels and was at least low carb, but calories are calories. And I ate lots and lots of very portable almonds this weekend. 

I will find my summer rhythm with food and getting hydrated, since I can't undo the weekend goofiest just said oh well and moved on. I'm tired of beating myself up all the time if I am not perfect. 

Finally, last but not least, today I started my new Beachbody workout called Insanity Max 30. Let me tell you this workout is no joke!! None stop for 30 minutes. When you take a break that's when you "max out". My first cardio challenge workout and I maxed out at 12 minutes. That is now my time to beat. My goal is 5 lbs gone by July 4! There it is in writing. 

No joke this workout is crazy intense and so good!

 

I was a sweaty mess after my first Insanity Max 90 workout

 

 

 

Can you feel my determination!!! 

Catch Up and Next Week

Sunday night. The moment you realize the weekend is officially over and a new week starts. I spent most of the weekend relaxing and doing nothing. I didn't sleep that great last week so it was nice to just do a quick cleaning, some errands, and then sit down, watch tv, and take naps.

Abby was very happy about the relaxing and taking naps portion of the weekend
I love snuggling with her

I did go to my friends' house Saturday night for dinner and a movie. It's so nice having friends who respect my lifestyle choices and have even started their own health journey!! Although we all had a good laugh when I busted out my food scale. What not everyone travels with their food scale?? Ha. I love my friends who get me! They made chicken breast, veggies, and salad.  I did also bring my own dressing for the salad.They have both recently started following a low carb diet lifestyle. I am so proud of them and the healthy changes they are learning to incorporate into their daily lives.Jerry, was told he was pre-diabetic a couple of months ago and decided then it was time to change. We talked about different meals and things he could do and now his wife is also following the plan. It's really fun watching them do it as a couple and they are both losing weight and feeling healthier and better about themselves!!

Scale and dressing packed and ready to go.
Good thing my parents got me a beautiful big bag for my birthday.

Last week at my Weight Watchers meeting I was so excited because I lost the .8 I gained the week before and I took off an additional 1.2lbs! Woohoo! Although I admit at one point I went, ugh so much more to go and can I do it. Well yes I can I reminded myself! I'm following weight watchers, I am working out, and the support I have received from my friends makes me feel like the impossible can be accomplished. This time I am losing the weight the healthy way. I am making peace with eating and food choices. It may take longer to lose it but at least I know this time it will stay lost!!

Feeling good.
Beachbody workout at 5 am is how I start my day.

So as the weekend comes to an end I sit here and think what can I improve or do better next week...

Set the goals, write them down, and achieve them!

1) less nighttime snacking. Even though I may have points I believe nighttime snacking isn't great for my body's digestion

2) try and add in 1 or 2 days extra of cardio. Hoping the weather improves so I can get out walking again. I'm even hoping my dad will teach me how to bike ride! 

3) drink more water! 

4) speak kindly to myself and know that on days when maybe getting dressed because nothing fits right is a challenge I remind myself I am on the right path and to stay strong! Soon those clothes will fit better than ever. 

What are your healthy, either mentally or physically, for the upcoming week? 

Non Scale Victories

Sorry for the delayed update, but I got some major downtime last week and took it! When I could sit on the couch and do nothing I did just that, and enjoyed every second of it. Now that I'm done being lazy it's time for an update.

At my Weight Watchers weigh-in last week the scale went up .8. Now, I must say it was expected. The biggest reason being it was the time of the month most women's scales go up. Nothing I can do about that but go with it. I will admit that even though I was expecting the numbers to be up it was still disappointing to see. I was bummed. Went into an old way of thinking that I call panic mode. Should I change up, should I stop eating carbs, did I go off my paleo-type eating, should I not eat my weeklies, maybe Weight Watchers doesn't work....

Slow and steady wins the race. Weight Watchers is teaching me how to eat for life for success. 

Meeting time..and I'm so happy I stayed. I listened to the many victories of the week, instead of feeling bad because I didn't have a scale victory it was a reminder to me to trust the program. Stick with it. No need for panic mode. All these people telling their victory of the week stories, soon I will be one of them. Plus when I shared how bummed I felt, I received so much support and some new ideas from the group. One person suggested keeping nail polish by my couch in case I get the night time munchies. If my nails are wet, I can't eat. As the meeting went on my leader started talking about non-scale victories and it really got me thinking of my own personal victories of the week not related to the scale, but still victories. 

The scale can only tell you numbers

The biggest for me being for the first time in months and months I didn't binge, not even one night. I've said it before and admit it fully, I am an emotional eater. Last week I didn't eat my emotions. If I was going through something I wrote about it in my journal, went to bed when I was tired, calmed myself down with walking around my condo, admitted to how I was feeling and was honest with myself. Once I realized that success I cheered myself on repeating to myself I didn't binge!! Huge success in my book and just because the scale didn't show me numbers I wanted to see I still consider my last week a huge success and I'm so proud of myself! 

Saw this on huffingtonpost.com and it's the truth. I will stick with the original problem and deal with it!

Never forget your non scale victories!!!  I'm definitely hoping for some scale victories soon, but for now I will take my non scale victories and be happy with them. Please feel free to share your stories with me. I've recently started a Facebook page called Healthy Living with Cindy. Come join me and let's support each other. 

Put Down the Peanut Butter!!

Finally April is tomorrow. Hurry up April has become a theme between my friend Marissa and me. Why you ask, because since the year has started it has been non-stop craziness. Projects and deadlines at work seemed never ending. Usually I don't mind, but when one starts before another one or two ends it does become a bit much. However, I was trusted with some really important and wonderful jobs, for that I am thankful. I was given a chance to learn and grow and see what I am made of. I made some big belly flops along the way but I never gave up. I received the most incredible amount of support from my boss. When I doubted myself, he never did, and always encouraged me to keep trying. This week closed out one of the bigger projects. This was almost 6 months in the making, but really picked up speed back in January. As of today I can officially say that project is closed and was a huge success!!

I was given a mission and with a team of other amazing people we made it happen!

Now on the home front...I miss my couch. I have been working late and trying to catch up with friends that I am feeling a little sleepy these days. I did manage to keep up with my 5 am 21 Day Fix workouts!  I feel like that really helps jump start my day.  BUT I must confess, I haven't been 100% with my eating. More like 80%. I've noticed by the end of the week I am tired and reach for the bad foods, for me, bad eating involves a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. GUILTY! Actually right before I wrote this I was sitting on the couch with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. The good news is I didn't finish the jar, the bad news is I ate half before I went WTF are you doing!! The peanut butter jar is now safely behind pantry doors. I am back in touch with myself and confessing my food sins to all of you.

I was tired, so tired and victory of the week,
and the peanut butter called me from the pantry!

I workout every day, do I qualify for this...

Sometimes it amazes me how strong I am at work and never give up, but when it comes to eating better and being consistent all it takes is a sleepy night and a jar of peanut butter to get me off my track. I'm pretty sure I consumed 1200 calories alone with the peanut butter tonight, that's a lot of workouts to burn it off...sigh...back to the drawing board.

Well this seems fitting for tonight...good reminder.
I still feel bad, but tomorrow is a new day!

Meal Prepping for Me!

I used to think meal prepping was only for hardcore workout people. Silly I know, but true. I pictured chicken breast and veggies day in and day out. Then I started noticing more people posting pictures of their meal prep on Instagram and realized how very wrong I was and it got me thinking about my weeks. Sure I eat healthy and cook majority of my meals but I felt like I was constantly unorganized and running to the grocery store; and then there were other weeks when I would cook too much and end up having to throw away food or freeze it if I could.  

So I decided to give meal prepping a try. I wrote down the meals I wanted to eat for the week. Went food shopping. Spent the next day cooking and sorting the foods. I learned a very valuable lesson that first week...make sure to switch up the dishes. Pork shoulder was on sale so I got myself a giant one and based dinner and lunch around it. BIG mistake!! I was so over pork by the end of week I ran to Shoprite and picked up a rotisserie chicken to avoid eating my meal prep. The good news is I learn quickly. After that week I had a better understanding of what I needed and how much I would need for the week.

It was delicious,
but there is just so much pulled pork you can eat in one week

I tend to food shop Friday after work or Saturday mornings, or if I am really tight on time I order my groceries to be delivered. Sunday for the most part is my cooking day. I actually really enjoy it. It's what I call cooking therapy.

Some weeks there are not enough hours in the day, spent not at work.
Peapod delivery to the rescue. 

I absolutely love knowing that at least the food portion of my week is taken care of, one less thing I have to worry about. The weeks are busy enough, if there is a way to make it even just a little less stressful you can bet I will figure out a way! Also, a huge added bonus is how much MONEY I am saving. I am buying what I need. I try and plan my meals around what proteins are on sale so that helps, and way less food gets thrown away at the end of the week due to spoilage.

I highly recommend giving meal prepping a try!  Save on time, money, stress, and even just having less extra food in the house to munch on has helped.

Here are some of the meals I have made...

Trader Joe's Chili Lime Burger, caulirice and broccoli

Same as above just separated

One of my favorites...
baked salmon and asparagus with caulirice

All done. Meals for lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks.
Not pictures is my breakfast shake and apple

I just put everything in my cooler bag before work and off I go.
So easy!!

Mini paleo meatloaf (recipe to come), sweet potato, and mixed veggies

Crockpot chicken thighs with string beans

Pulled Pork Deliciousness

Playing in the kitchen has really become fun for me. I used to be so afraid. What if something comes out bad? What I have learned is sometimes things come out bad and that's not fun, but then you try again and make adjustments and it could turn out to be your favorite meal!

My mom recently cleaned out her extra freezer and had some pork shoulder she wasn't going to make, she donated it to the feed the Cindy fund and I happily cooked it up. I did some research first online..the usual places..google and pinterest. I wasn't really sure what to do, but the crockpot seemed like the best option. I found a couple of different recipes, took what I liked about each one and made my own recipe hoping for success. I can tell you I was not disappointed! Hello melt in my mouth and happy belly food pork shoulder.

Recipe time...

This is just one of many many ways to cook the pork shoulder

** I forgot to add 1/2 cup of water to the above recipe. **

Done and shredded. Ready to be eaten!

I couldn't believe how juicy and tender it was when it was cooked and the flavor blew me away. I made that! And my condo smelled delicious for days.

In the past I didn't really share my cooked food, especially if I made up the recipe. I was afraid no one else would like it, but then I realized I wanted to know. I wanted other people's opinions and I wanted to know if there are tweaks I could make to make it even better.  Thankfully my dad and a few coworkers are brave and have been my go to testers. They all approved and asked for this dish again!

Happy dad, happy daughter!
He loved it and trust me he is not an easy sell.

I had plenty for the week and loved mixing it up with different sides.

Broccoli and zucchini 

String beans and caulirice,
I also added a little balsamic dressing to this dish

Enjoy!  If you make it I would love to hear your thoughts.

PB2 Woohoo!

Happy Tuesday! How is everyone doing adjusting to daylight savings?...Except those who are in states that don't have to adjust, I am jealous of you guys. 

I really miss that hour

I had a few minutes this morning before work and had to share my favorite snack find. Let me start off by saying I love peanut butter. I like almond butter, but I LOVE peanut butter. As you know peanut butter also comes with a lot of calories, not the best to devour while trying to shed a few pounds (just ask my scale). And sure you can have a serving size, but who really has a serving size of the deliciousness. Then some genius came out with PB2. 

Looks so simple,
yet so much deliciousness in a powder and less calories!

PB2 is powdered peanut butter and according to the label 85% less fat and calories than traditional peanut butter. You just mix the powder with liquid and voila peanut butter. Okay, sure it's not exactly like eating from a jar of the real deal, but it definitely helps to satisfy my peanut butter craving. I have also started using it in my morning shakes...chocolate, banana, and PB2...hello happy taste buds!!! 

I know there are lots of brands out there now, but I noticed some other brands have added "stuff" to them. No thank you. I love having a little bowl at night while watching tv or during the day with a cut up apple. 

Apples and PB2
Low carb, low calorie, super filling

Just a bowl of PB2 to watch some TV
I usually try to make it thicker but this was still delicious 

Hmm I wonder if I can bake with it...might have to play with that idea.

Have you tried it before? Do you mix it in shakes or eat it alone?  

Have a great day everyone. I am off to work!

It's a great day to have a great day!

Adventure with Travel and Food

I did it!  I not only flew on a plane for the first time in over 12 years, I not only went to my first big business trip, but I managed to stay true to myself and make choices to benefit my health. With everything I went through last month I was so nervous traveling, especially on a plane and to a location I had never been before. Now that it is over I can say from the bottom of my heart it was amazing!!

View from the plane going to Las Vegas

The meeting that I attended went smoothly and was very informative, in fact, I'm more excited about the future of my company than ever before. The meeting took place in Las Vegas and I am so thankful my boss invited me to attend. From the moment he asked, I thought oh no there will be food. I had barely eaten anything other than my soup, greek yogurt, and caulimash for a month and now I would not only be eating other foods I would not have my own food. I am sure there are plenty of people who travel and what they eat is not on their list of high concerns, but I have a feeling anyone who suffers from health issues related to the digestive system can relate to my fears.

My coworker asked if I wanted a picture,
a few months ago I would have said no thank you,
but now I said absolutely!

Another plane view. I love looking at the clouds

I spoke to the women planning the meeting and she was very understanding, told me everything that would be in the meeting room for breakfast and lunch and gave me the restaurant names so I could plan ahead. I called the restaurants and both seemed okay with my request of plain grilled chicken and a side of veggies.

On the plane I brought some cheese sticks and water. I didn't even eat them, guess my stomach shrunk more than I thought. We checked into the hotel and went to lunch, I ordered a salad with chicken and hoped it would hold me over until dinner. After lunch my boss took us on a tour of Las Vegas, and then went back to the hotel to relax a little.

No french fries or onion rings for me.
I admit this salad was really good and way more filling than I thought it would be

Look I went to Paris too...
haha okay maybe not, but still incredible to see in Vegas

View from my room.
I loved looking out and seeing the mountains

Well I think all that walking and jet jag (I'm from the east coast) caught up to me, because while hanging out in the hotel room I realized I was starving! I checked out the little store downstairs and found some cheese, a turkey sandwich, and coconut water...jackpot! The turkey seemed to be of good quality so I gave it a shot. It was just what I needed. I was back on track and feeling good. Later I met everyone for dinner at the Mexican restaurant and absolutely LOVED the meal they made me of chicken breast, cheese, and veggies. Very healthy, very yummy, low carb, low calorie, low sugar, no bad extra ingredient stuff. I skipped the drinks and dessert and really felt very proud of myself. I also slept great that night.

Snacks I found in the little hotel store.
Thankful the cheese didn't bother my belly

Breakfast in the meeting room was greek yogurt and berries, I am very pleased the berries didn't bother me. Lunch I had some fresh turkey in a small salad. Dinner...well even though I called ahead asking for plain chicken and they assured me it was no problem, the waiter came back and said everything has been marinated and spiced. Ummm now what!?! I asked him what wasn't marinated and spiced he said salmon. Good thing I like salmon. It turned out to be really delicious with a side of asparagus. We walked back to the hotel to enjoy the city at night.

Water show at the Bellagio.
The water was dancing to "singing in the rain" 

Water show at the Bellagio
My favorite part of the walk back to the hotel

I came back from that trip so excited that I stayed true to myself. I didn't eat anything bad because it was easier. I didn't hide my health issues. I even lost a pound. And best of all I was able to wear really cute clothes (thanks to my bf for the Express gift card) and even more exciting was having the the energy I needed to keep up with the meetings, the walking, the travel, and the fun!!

Welcome back to the East Coast.
No place like home