Week 3: Mexico and the Quest to Eat Polenta!

Hello My Fab Fit Bloggers!

I am just finishing up Week 3 of the Pi Yo workout!  I can't believe that I am almost 1/2 way done with the program!  [Round 1 at least!]  Seems like I just started this program and here I am almost 1/2 way done! Yikes!

Today was Weigh In Wednesday and while I'm lucky I maintained my weight from last week, I'd like to lose my LAST FIVE FREAKING POUNDS.  Ugh.  Why can't I look like my buff buddy Niki by association?

I am not seeing results...which makes me sad...BUT I am FEELING results, and that's what's important right?

YES!

I feel stronger on some of the moves...and I still fall over on others.  [I can't master that bowling move yet.] I'm just frustrated right now because I want to see those results, but good things don't happen over night.

But pouting won't get me nowhere.  I just had to vent to those who are equally frustrated with their weight loss plateau... [that's what I'm in right now, it will come off!]

For my new food this week, I have decided to try polenta!

Polenta is cornmeal!  It's porridge [you know the thing that Goldilocks ate in that tale].  It looks disgusting and gross, but it is not!  I kid you not, it looks strange, but it is yummy and even good for you!

This recipe is not my own...it's a spin off from the book 'Get Waisted.'  If you don't own it, get it! Buy it here.   I could rave on about this book, but that's another blogging day for me.

This is how I did it:

1] Pour 3/4 of a cup of Polenta into a pot full of 3 cups of water.

 Let it boil and whisk it often.  It will thicken in about 8-10 minutes.

You will know it is done when you cannot physically stir it anymore! This is what it looks like right before it is done!

2] Prepare the beans.  I had beans all ready prepared so this was an easy step for me.  You can use a can of beans or prepare them the day before.  I used a 1/2 cup.

3] Chop up scallions, parsley and jalapeños.  You can add tomatoes if you wish, but I didn't have any so I did not add them:/

4] Put in dishes and get ready to serve!  I added salsa with mine so it had a little bit of spice!

I liked this recipe.  It was filling and had some good nutrients.    It was a nice change from the usual eggs, oatmeal or pancakes.   What I didn't like is that the original recipe had you pretty much stock your bowl up to the top for your cornmeal.  I opted to divide this recipe over 3 meals instead of the original two.  I also did not like how bland the polenta tasted.  I added the salsa to give it a little flavor.  I also added avocado [not pictured].

I also liked how it kept me FULL for more than 2 hours!  It also gave me enough energy to do my PiYo Core and 20 Dreadmill-Treadmill 7x400 Speed work out.

Tomorrow I am going to add a tomato and see how that changes it.  Overall it was only about 290 calories...not bad for a morning breakfast!

I hope you enjoyed my blog entry!  Later this week I hope to have more uplifting and motivational news about my weight loss progress and PiYo results! [I still <3 you Chalene!]

<3
Em

PiYo Week 2: For the Love of Sprouts!

Hey All!

So this kicks off Week 2 of PiYo and can I say it is addicting?

So addicting that even my amazing fiancé, Kyle has done several of the workouts with me!

Last week was all about getting proportions and figuring out how much to eat over the course of the day.  This week is all about eating a variety of foods, including more veggies per day.

So I decided to try Brussels sprouts! I got them yesterday while I was visiting Barb in Janesville.   She took me to Sam's Club and there they were, just sitting there waiting for me to purchase them.  I always wanted to make them, but never and the courage to try.  So I decided Monday was my day!

Barb said I should find a good recipe so I researched and researched and this is the result:

1] I washed all of sprouts with water and dried them very well.

2]  I cut off the bottoms of the sprouts and then diced them in half.

3] I added 1 tablespoon of olive oil with a dash of garlic powder and fresh ground pepper.  Mixed it up with my own bare hands!

4] I set them on a tray face down so the bottoms would caramelize.

5] I put them in the oven for 15 minutes.  I then gave them a shake and put them back in for another 15 minutes.

6] Serve! ...YUM!

I severed these bad boys TWICE today.  They were THAT good!

Dish 1: Tuna/Tomato Sandwich with a side of Pink Lady Apples and Sprouts

Dish 2: Tuna Steak with Mint-Jalapeno Dressing and Pink Lady Apple Slices c/Sprouts

Verdict: I LOVE THIS VEGGIE!!!!!  It is super filling and delicious!  Even Kyle, who refused [like a child who is being forced to eat his veggies refused] took a few bites and ended up liking it.  Not bad!!!  I say it's a match made in heaven!

Thanks for reading!  Happy Eating!

<3

Em

Week 1 of PiYo Challenge, Almost Complete! But I'm Still HUNGRY!!!!!!

Week 1 is almost done!  This mantra is so true!

I've been a very good girl this week!  I've been working super hard to get balanced meals and all of my exercise in.  It hasn't been easy! However I LOVE the workouts!  Chalene you are AWESOME!  Now you and Jillian need to get together and make a PiYo/Jillian Workout DVD...oh man that'd be wicked awesome, right?

Okay I'm getting off point here.  The workouts are great...the eating part has taken me sometime to adjust to.  According to the plan, in order for me to lose weight I would need to only consume 1200 calories.  NOT GOOD!  There are NO SAFE diet plans that encourage you to go lower than 1200.  Yes I am quite smaller than some folks, so yes I should be closer to the 1200, but I have never been told to go that low.    But you know, I want to lose the last few pounds I've acquired from bloat and stress so what the heck, I'll give it a shot!  It's only like 5 pounds so what's the big deal right?

Well I got that wrong.  Turns out on Monday, first day out on the gate, I almost fainted.   I learned that it isn't how many you consume, but it is how many NET calories (calories you consume-burn) is what counts! Since I work out on top of the PiYo program, I need more.  No shame in that!

But HOW do I stop from being hungry?

I realized that most of my meals are carb-a-lovely heavy!  This is a big NO-NO!  The carbs burn off quickly and leave you hungry!  Plus sugar, even in the form of fruit isn't going to keep you full for a long time.  Not saying you can't ever eat fruit (you should because there are so many benefits to eating them), but you should keep them in check so you don't have a sugar crash.  What you should aim for is having carbs, protein AND healthy fats in each meal.   When I achieved this, I was able to stay fuller longer!  It prevented me from over eating and I was no longer starving myself.

Here are some of my faves from the week that have that nutritional balance!:

Haberano Garlic Shrimp w/ 1/2 cup of Whole Grain Rice 

1 Medium Cucumber w/ 1.5 Tablespoons of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Sunshine Orange Salad w/ 1/2 Cup of Whole Grains

Spicy Egg Cucumber c/Grapes and Ice Tea

And my favorite, Garlic Salad Chicken Wrap c/ 1 slice of toast and mango jelly!  (Oh and ICE TEA!)

What are YOUR favorite balanced meals?  Remember, I'm not talking pancakes or sandwiches!  I'm talking about a meal that has protein, fats and carbs living in perfect harmony!

<3

Em 

"What's the Best Revenge on Anyone...LOOKING AMAZING!"

Hello Everybody!

Today is a special day: I am officially working on TWO CHALLENGES!

1) The Eating Well Slim Down Challenge

2) BeachBody PiYo Challenge

The EWSDC is pretty self-explanatory.  It's a group of people on FB that are attempting to be 100% clean with their food.  That means no going out to eat, no processed foods and no liquor.  It's a good way to start focusing on what's healthy and what's not healthy to eat.  It's great because with my personal experience I can mentor some while others can mentor me to make better food choices.  I've done it for 12 days now and I'm seeing myself becoming less bloated and less cranky!  No strict regime is needed; just eat clean and focus on making better healthy choices.  I'm loving the accountability!

That's nice Em, but what in the $@#$ is PiYo?

Well, let me tell you!

PiYo is a workout series created by Chalene Johonson, the creator of Turbo Jam.

The goal is to provide people with an "intense-low-impact-body-workout" that produces true results in about 60 days.   This challenge group will do the workouts and exchange words of support and encouragement along the way!

Now I realize the "low" might be a little misguided, but I truly feel "low-impact" means not as much jumping and bouncing.  Believe me, I've been in plenty of classes at the Janesville Athletic Club, Green Bay Y and Jenstar Studio where my entire body was sweating and shaking without high-intense cardio.   Sounds crazy, but believe me, it is possible!  I'm just dreading the AB WORKOUT because I HATE WITH ALL MY HEART AB WORKOUTS...but I need it in order to gain strength with running!

So over the next 60 days I am going to post some feedback about my journey on my BeachBody PiYo Challenge!  Stick around for more fun recipes, workouts and other tips I learn throughout my challenge!

So here I am; ready to show the entire world my "before" photo.  I shouldn't feel so shy about my body, because the thing is super awesome and is going to continue to improve! And besides, if not me, who will do it?

So this is me; before PiYo begins!

Front:

Side:

Back:

I'm so ready to do this!  If you are interested in joining in on the fun, let me know!  It would be great to do the challenge with a friend or a few!

<3
Em

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls--Part 1

Hello Bloggers!

Last weekend I went on a wonderful hiking trip with Leah to the UP.

It was a wonderful trip!  Leah and I visited quite a few waterfalls--SIX of them to be exact!  We saw the following:

Big Smokey Falls
Agate Falls
Bond Falls
Canyon Falls
Horse Race Rapids
La Salle Falls
12 Ft Falls
8 Ft Falls

Leah and I started with a breakfast wrap up at Big Smokey Falls, which was only about 20 miles away from her house.

Afterwards, we drove directly north through a lot of little cities.  Then we landed in Upper Michigan!  Leah was kind enough to drive me to Ski Brule.  I always wanted to see what Ski Brule looked like in the summer!

Then we headed over to the Listening Inn.  Our first impressions were not very good.  The lady scolded me for wanting to have a glass of wine before we departed on our adventure.  Therefore, we had some wine in secret on our deck.

 

Leah and I both made our own lunches to avoid having to pay for more food on our trip.  Smart idea because we got accidentally upgraded to a higher rate room!  I mean we did have a hot tub and a four post bed, so things could have been worse...

Next we packed our picnic baskets and headed out for Agate and Bond falls!  Agate Falls was about an hour and a half away from our Bed and Breakfast.  We enjoyed the view and got very confused when we entered different time zones! 

This is us at Agate Falls!  Not much to tell.  We walked along the falls for about a half mile before we saw it.  Nothing too special--only yet we didn't realize this at the time! 

Then came the motherload of waterfalls!  Bond Falls!  Bond Falls is the second largest set of waterfalls in MI.    We took a long hike down the side of Bond Falls.  Once we hit the bottom of the falls this was the lovely view we got to see!

And of coarse who couldn't forgo a lovely snapshot of us?

After our trip, we were hungry.  We stopped out at the Hazelwood Cafe, which was along our route.  When we headed home, The Listening Inn gave us a bottle of their own Blueberry Spice Wine...FOR FREE!  Leah and I both took advantage of this wine and enjoyed a night soaking in our hot tub, making up Zumba routines, singing Disney songs and chatting the night away:-)  We both fell asleep excited for the next day's adventure!

More to Post Soon!
<3
Em

DIY: Making Memories with Spray Paint, Fabric and Glitter! [Why Yes Megan, I Used Glitter!]

Hey All!

Another blog entry...yes it's true!

I've been wanting to make one of these for a while now!!!

I purchased a bulletin board, fabric, spray paint and letters.

I covered the bulletin board with the fabric.

Then I spray painted the letters and the knobs.

Then I covered them with glitter!  [Because glitter rocks!]

Then after gluing the words and screwing the knobs together...this is the end result!

A running board!

This was a lot of fun to make!  I love how the glitter gives the knobs and words a little bit of a shine! I also like how large the space is so we can put a lot of race photos up!

Here's a closer look!

What do you think?  Something you might want to tackle down the road? 

<3 

Em

The Photos Everybody Wants to See!

Hey All!

Time for a wedding blog entry!  [Oh yeah, you're getting married in what, like, um, a year? YES! Save the Date: 9/25/15!]

Here is the moment Kyle and I have been waiting for...our engagement photos to be edited and ready for pick up!  Yippie!

Our photos were taken by Kasey and Ben Hock Photography.  Kasey and I go way back---to 2005 when we were roommates and college buddies at UW-Green Bay.  Kasey has done several photos for me in the past, including modeling sessions and artistic pieces, so I knew when it was time to get married, she would be the perfect one to capture the moments.  I sure was right!  Kasey and Ben were extremely informative on helping us make these photos special.  I am beyond convinced that our wedding photos will be just as elegant and artistic as these!

Kristina and I ventured over to the studio earlier today.  Kasey greeted us with a smile and took us into her basement where she had an entire display ready to showcase her beautiful photography.  Kristina and I were both in oh's and awe's over each beautifully captured photo.  Kasey expressed her appreciation to my attention to details regarding outfits and was excited that she was able to experiment with the lights at the Wildlife Sanctuary.    She was right; the lighting was perfect for our special day!

These are only some of the photos that I uploaded.  I love how Kasey was able to capture our smiles and romanticism.  Kyle always said he has a hard time smiling, but I sure disagree!

I think the photos turned out nice, don't you think?

Let me know what you think about them!  I hope you enjoyed them as much as us!

<3
Em