Rule #2

So again, if I were writing a book, rule #1 would be portion control, then rule #2 would be balance. Now balance means a lot of things. Like, if you are going to have a big piece of cake for dessert one night, you probably ought to hit the gym that day too. But when I think of balance, I think of food balance. I used to be much better at this, but with a child, everything is more difficult. When I am menu planning, and I plan to make baked ziti for dinner or cottage cheese and noodles, I will try to be conscious of my lunch. I will/would normally eat a big salad for lunch and not cereal or oatmeal for breakfast. It's not good to eat a big plate of carbs at every meal, or a big plate of protein either. I notice that I feel better when I balance out my day. I don't feel heavy and bloated. I feel light and energized. I am not a believer in low-carb diets, but as a runner, there is no way I would have the energy anyway, but the same goes for high carb. If you are more conscious of what you eat throughout the day and balance out the day's meals, I think you will find weight will come off more easily and you won't even think about it.

Rule #1

Rule #1 is Portion Control!

If I were writing a health book (diet book for lack of a better term), this would be the first chapter.

So I have to say that I am currently not following this rule very closely right now, but if you are struggling with your weight or trying to lose those last 5 pounds, this rule is important. Even those that are counting calories, if you are not measuring things out, you are probably under counting your calories. I know it's a pain, but I have to say, I got used to this and don't really think about it much anymore. Once you start measuring everything out, you will then begin to see what a 1/2 cup of rice looks like or 1 cup of cooked pasta and then you might be able to put away the actual measuring cup, but if you see your weight creeping up again, get out the measuring cups again.

Dust off those measuring cups and use salad dishes for dinner plates and you won't even notice the difference except in your waist. :)

Menu Planning - 9/28

I know I am a day late, but I did actually put together my meals yesterday, I just didn't have time to blog about it.

Ok, now it's time for this week's meals.

Monday - Grilled Mahi Mahi, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and green beans (it was good)

Tuesday - Veggie burger (93% fat free ground beef for Adam) with colby cheese, tator tots, and roasted broccoli

Wednesday - Ravoli with marinara sauce (meat sauce for Adam) and a salad

Thursday - Pulled Pork sandwiches (for Adam), baked beans, and broccoli (don't know what I am eating for dinner that night)

Friday - Taco Night

Have a good week everyone!

A busy husband + rain = Super Mom with no training

So for everyone that doesn't live in Atlanta, we had some pretty bad rain which led to flooding. Luckily, our house was not affected by the rain/floods, but it makes it difficult to get some of my runs in. What didn't help was my poor husband was swamped with work so I had to take on a lot of the things he does around the house and had little help with Hope. One day I did end up at the gym and did the elliptical for a while and kept Hope in the daycare at the gym. Of course I felt so guilty about it that I didn't get to enjoy my workout. It's very hard. I have a severe case of mommy guilt. I feel guilty doing anything that is not about Hope, and doing something that is selfish, oh man, that is the worst. I know I need to take time out for myself, but it's hard. I hope I can overcome this issue I am having.

So while I have not had a lot of time to run, I have been active, which is good. I am a little nervous about my half marathon on Sunday though. I wish I had gotten in more runs and hope I can stay strong throughout the race. It's less than a week away. Yikes! My PR is 1:55, and would like to beat it. Well at least 90% of my runs include pushing a jogging stroller so I get a double workout each time.

Yes, Adam has been crazy busy with work, so I have had to pick up the slack at home. So let me paint you a picture, me with Hope in her Baby Bjorn and our lovely 55lb. black lab on a leash (who has never been good on a leash) pulling me into the vet office on Friday. It was a sight to see, but we all made it through and Elle was in great health.

So my plan for this week is to get in 2 runs and some time on the elliptical before the race on Sunday. Wish me luck!

Menu Planning - 9/21

Happy Birthday DAD! Today is his birthday which means we are headed out to dinner tonight. He took my suggestion and we are going to a fun place in Midtown. I can't wait! So here is what I have planned for the rest of the week.

Monday - Out to dinner

Tuesday - Pan-Crisped Tofu with greens and peanut dressing (Pan-crisped chicken for Adam), baked potato for Adam

Wednesday - Something simple like ravoli or gnocchi and a salad

Thursday - Chile-Baked Fish with Sweet Potatoes, salad

Friday - ???

Have a good week everyone!

Homemade Protein Bars

Adam needs something fast in the mornings. He eats breakfast in the care on his way to work. We both don't like the idea of him eating processed bars every morning so I have been finding recipes that I can make and keep in the freezer and he can grab and go. I do make him protein shakes in the mornings once a week or so, but it's often tough because we both prefer the ones that take a little more time. I made him some breakfast cookies that a friend of mine introduced me to and he has loved them. I was looking to try something different. I came across an old recipe but remembered it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped last time, so this time I made some changes and made it my own. Here is what I came up with.


Ingredients


1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
2 cups rolled oats
4 scoops protein powder (I used chocolate)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 - 1/2 cup warm water
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

1. Heat peanut butter in microwave for 20 seconds to make it easier to mix.
2. Combine the oats, protein powder, and dried cranberries to peanut butter.
3. Slowly add warm water (you might not need the whole 1/2 cup) and continue to mix.
4. Place on wax paper and spray spatula with cooking spray and flatten out (1/4 inch thick).
5. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then cut into 8 pieces.
6. Freeze and grab when you are ready.

Here is how they looked.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 235

Total Fat: 10.8g

Saturated Fat: 1.7g

Carbs: 23g

Fiber: 5.4g

Sugar: 5.1g

Protein: 13g

FREE Stuff!

I saw commercials for free cereal from 2 different companies. I checked them out today and it's true. You can go to Kashi or Total Cereal and receive a sample of each.

Then on Facebook I saw another free sample from Bare Naked. You can either get the granola bar or the cereal (choose from 5 different selections). I chose the chocolatey cherry grain-ola bar. I'll let you know how it is.

Also, at our house we eat a lot of yogurt, especially Stonyfield Farms yogurt. Now they are starting a rewards programs. You can start saving here.

Enjoy!

Menu Planning - 9/14

Well first off, it's Sept. 14, which means my little girl is 11 months old. I can't believe it!!! She is getting so big and is able to do so much, it's amazing!

Ok, now it's time for this week's meals.

Monday - Leftover Curry Vegetables with Lentils over brown rice, roasted broccoli

Tuesday - Pan-Crisped Tofu with greens and peanut dressing (Pan-crisped chicken for Adam), baked potato for Adam

Wednesday - Pasta with marinara sauce, chicken for Adam, broccoli for me

Thursday - Leftovers (pasta and or pan-crisped tofu), gotta clean the fridge out.

Friday - Hope and I will be out of town, so who knows!!!

Training from last week and for this week

I didn't get a chance to post this last week so I need to update you on my training. It's going ok, but it's very hard to get all my miles in and being a super mom to Hope (she deserves it).



Week 5 Projected/Actual
Tuesday - 3 mile easy run, abs / 3 mile easy run, abs
Friday - 6 mile tempo run, abs / 6.65 mile tempo run, abs
Sunday - 12 mile easy run / 12 mile easy run



Total Mileage: 21.65 miles



The 12 mile run was awesome! I loved every minute of it. The problem was that Hope did not want to take an afternoon nap so I didn't get to rest myself. I was tired the rest of the day and felt guilty that I didn't play with Hope as much as I should have. I am currently rethinking my marathon training to possibly just a half marathon. It's sad to think about, but I have to do what best for Hope.



Week 6 Projected/Actual

Tuesday - 7 mile tempo run, abs / 7.66 mile tempo run
Thursday - Tennis practice / Tennis practice
Friday - 2 mile easy run, abs / 7.54 mile easy run
Saturday - 14 mile easy run / 10.01 mile easy run
Sunday - Tennis match / Tennis match



Total mileage: 25.21 miles



So as you can see, I didn't get to do my 14 mile run this week all at once. Adam was rafting on Saturday so he left the house at 6:00am and I had a tennis match on Sunday so I decided to combine my Friday and Saturday runs and get the mileage in the best I could. Hope did not sleep well at all last week and on Wed. night she got a stomach bug so her and I slept together Wed. night. Poor little girl. I felt awful for her. It was the first time she has gotten sick like that, which is nice because she is 11 months old (today, actually). So we are very lucky that she has been so healthy, but I felt so bad for her. I didn't sleep well for 4 straight nights. I was exhausted so my runs were terrible. I am actually surprised I got all my runs in. I went out on Friday and it was awful. I had tennis practice on Thursday so my legs were not as fresh as they normally are. I had fallen asleep during Hope's morning nap and when she woke me up, I felt like I had been hit by a mack truck. I powered through my run but was not happy about it. On Saturday, when Hope usually naps, we started out for our 10 miler. As soon as I started, my legs felt awful again. Of course, I had just run over 7 miles the day before so they would be tired, but I hated this feeling. I had to take the jogging stroller with me on Friday and Saturday since Adam was not around, so 17 miles in 2 days with the jogging stroller, that's gotta equal a marathon, right?!?! During my run, I started thinking that this might just not be working out. As much as I love running those long distances, I need some down time afterwards and Hope is not a great napper, so I am never guaranteed a good afternoon nap. I feel guilty laying on the couch while Hope is playing with her toys. Adam's schedule is unpredictable and now he has started tennis too, so he plays on Saturday mornings. Hope and I also plan to do some weekend getaways while Adam busy and we have some family weekend trips planned too. How am I going to get all these runs in??? So for now, I have decided that my longest distance is going to be the half marathon. I am sad to write this, because I really wanted to run the full, but I don't think I can be the best mom and train for a full marathon. I know I could finish the marathon, so it's not something I have to prove to myself, and I know one day I will do a full marathon and maybe Hope will be old enough to really cheer for me at the end. So now my training is a little different. I still plan to run one tempo run a week (usually on Tuesdays) at either 6 or 7 miles. On Fridays (or Wednesdays if need be) I will run an easy 3-4 miler. And then on Saturdays I will run a longer run (8-12 miles). This will be easier since my schedule is getting so full and I don't feel bad taking Hope on a 10 mile run if she is napping part of the time. So here is what I have planned this week.

Week 6 Projected/Actual
Tuesday - 6 mile tempo run, abs
Wednesday - 3 mile easy run
Friday - 8-10 mile easy run
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Tennis match

This will be considered an easier week, but last week was pretty tough. Hope and I will be traveling to Charleston, SC on Thursday evening (Adam has a busy weekend) so I thought it would be nice to visit one of my closest friends in the world and her daughter (4 months older than Hope).

Menu Planning - 9/7

Yes, I know I'm late, but better late, than never. Here is what I have planned for the week.

Monday - Dinner out

Tuesday - Pesto Polenta Lasagna (didn't make it last week), salad

Wednesday - Mahi mahi, wild rice, and broccoli in a light cheese sauce

Thursday - Spicy Sesame Noodles with asparagus, chicken breast for Adam

Friday - Some sort of breakfast for dinner (either pancakes or eggs)

Have a good week!