Simple and Healthy Eats

Evening All!

This morning started bright and early at 5:15. When I got to the gym I did a 5 min run on the treadmill to warm-up then started Gina’s Summer Shape Up Week 1. Her workout’s are different this time. Instead of just strength training she included a combination of strength, flexibility and speed training. I’m going to follow it as much as possible as long as it fits into my workout schedule.

Today was strength training. I did the following workout in circuit-style (one of each exercise right after another with a 1-2 min rest at the end of each set and then repeat 3 times). Here’s a breakdown of my workout this morning:

Bend-Over Fly	15lbs	12 reps
Side Lying Lateral Raise	5lbs	12 reps per side
Ultimate Toe Touch		10 reps per side
Incline Bicep Curl (on Stability Ball)	15lbs	12 reps
Bend-Over Row	15lbs	12 reps
Reverse Crunch		15 reps
Stability Ball Back Extension		15 reps
Weighted Ball Crunch	10lbs	12 reps
Plie Squats	20lbs	15 reps
Chest Press on Stability Ball	20 lbs	12 reps

Overall it was a pretty good workout. Not my favourite but I got a great sweat in and felt pretty good afterwards. I did find the workout took a little longer then usual since I’m not use to some of the exercises. As well, I think I might need to push myself a little more with some of the weights. I will be doing this workout again on Friday so I’ll give it another try and let you all know how it goes then.

After my workout breakfast was a piece of flax toast and a protein green smoothie. In the blender: 2 large handfuls of organic spinach, 1 organic banana, 1 tbsp of flaxmeal, 1 scoop of lean whey and 1 cup of UVAB. Another great combo.

Lunch was a turkey sammie on an English muffin. Sliced turkey, mozza, spinach all on a whole wheat English muffin along with a yogurt cup and baby carrots.

After work I met a friend for a coffee date at Starbucks. I had skinny cinnamon dolce latte…

 

And one of these babies…

Lemon Coconut Bar. Not the healthiest but definitely delicious.

Dinner was simple but healthy.

BBQ Chicken…

Roasted baby potatoes with thyme, rosemary, oregano and a little parmesan cheese. I read this combo on someone's blog on the weekend. I have not idea who’s it was so if I got the idea from you please let me know. I’d love to give you credit for it.

Yummy! What a great idea.

Served with some bbq’d asparagus with a little salt and ground pepper…

All together…

Easy. Healthy. Yummy. I actually only ate two pieces of the chicken but all the potatoes and asparagus. The picture doesn’t give credit to how much asparagus was actually on my plate and how big the asparagus actually was. So filling.

Dessert was Skinny Cow Ice-Cream Sandwich. What a great sweet treat for only 130 calories.

I’d better go. The hockey game is going to start in about 15 mins.

Go Hawks Go!

~ Katie :)

A Lazy Sunday

Evening all! I have been rocking the blogging this weekend. I haven’t been very consistent lately but I feel like I’m in the groove right now so everyone should expect lots of posts from me in the future :)

As per my blog title today was a wonderful, lazy day. Things are going to be very busy over the next few weeks so Matt and I took advantage and had a day with no plans.

When I got up this morning it was rainy and gross so I decided to to use up the last of my pb that I’ve been saving and make Oats in a Jar.

I put my perfect oatmeal in the last of the pj jar.

Then topped it was 1/2 a banana.

And 1 tbsp of chocolate chips.

Nom! I love oatmeal on chilly, rainy mornings.

After breakfast I spend the rest of the morning watching Matt play some Mario (I needed a break from yesterday’s stress) and did some blog reading. What a great way to spend the morning.

Lunch was an apple quesadilla. I had saw them on Jenny’s blog a few weeks ago and they looked yummy.

I started with one whole wheat tortilla and half and apple sliced.

I grated some mozza and added it to the top.

Then added the other tortilla and cooked for about 5-10 mins. Served them with a handful of organic baby tomatoes.

So cheesy!

I actually only at about 1/2 of the Quesadilla. It was a little too greasy for me. Mozza is very soft and a little greasy. I think it would have been better with cheddar. I’ll have to try them again sometime.

After lunch Matt decided to watch the Matrix (one of my least favourite movies) so I headed upstairs to read Sookie and maybe take a nice afternoon nap. I’m currently on the fifth (??) book.

I’m loving these books. Thanks Jaime :)

Mid-afternoon I was feeling hungry so I grabbed some roasted garlic hummus.

And paired them with some carrots and Stacy’s Pita Chips.

Supper wasn’t the healthiest but definitely yummy.

Honey Garlic Ribs

This is my dad’s recipe and now Matt makes it for me ever once in a while. Since we had some ribs on hand we decided tonight would be a great night to have some.

We start with some ribs.

Honey and Honey Garlic Sauce.

Matt boils the ribs for a 15 mins in a pot then cooks them in the Wok with the sauce and honey.

This might be the messiest dinner ever for your stove top - haha :P

Since the ribs are a little on the heavy and sugary side we decided to pair them with a big salad.

In the salad spinner: organic spinach, carrots, cucumber, baby tomatoes, red, yellow and green peppers.

Served on a plate with some lemon juice and a tbsp of dried cranberries.

Of course along with the ribs.

So delicious!

This is one of my most favourite meals! I don’t get it very often but I love it. If anyone is interested in the full recipe please send me an email at katieshealthydiscovery@gmail.com and I’d be happy to provide it for you.

Now I’m watching sitting next to the husband while he is watching the final Matrix movie. I have lots going on tomorrow including starting Gina’s new four week program Summer Shape Up. She actually started it last week so I’m a week late but still excited to start.

Have a good night everyone.

~ Katie :)

Sizzlin’ in the Sun

Happy Saturday Everyone. It’s the last weekend in May and Matt and I decided to chill and do nothing this weekend. We have lots going throughout the weekends in June so we figured we relax and not really make too many plans.

I got up around 9:30 and was craving pancakes so I grabbed the organic pancake mix I had in the cupboard and started mixing.

I mixed the mix with one egg and some skim milk (since I’m currently out of Almond Milk – I must pick some up tomorrow) and a splash of water.

Matt was having eggs so I just made three pancakes for myself.

I topped them with fresh strawberries and some maple syrup.

Perfect Saturday morning breakfast.

After breakfast Matt and I headed out to run some errands and get some groceries. We were going to hand to the gym after lunch. On our way to the grocery store we decided to skip the gym and go for a long walk on the waterfront since it was +22 out.

We walked for a while when we decided to grab some lunch. We stopped at Hart & Thistle right on the water and sat outside on the patio and enjoyed some lunch. We both got fish and chips but I got mine with sweet potato fries. The food there was great. I’d definitely recommend it.

While we were sitting there I realized that I had a strapless shirt on and no sunscreen. I could feel myself getting burnt.

OH CRAP!

I was a lobster by the time we got home.

I’m so sore now.

After I finished writing this post I’m going to go have a cold shower then get Matt to rub some aloe on it. I need to remember my sunscreen when I’m going out.

After we got home from the walk we played Mario on the Wii for a while – had a couple of beers (well Matt had beer I had some Mike’s that were in the fridge). We must be careful Mario Wii could cause a divorce – I’m kidding but seriously that game is very stressful :P

Dinner we decided to make a homemade pizza.

We picked up a thin crust at the superstore today and added some low cal pizza sauce.

Then added some chicken.

Turkey bacon and ground turkey.

Matt put some green pepper and red onion on his side of the pizza (if you’ve read my blog before you know that I just don’t like veggies on my pizza).

And some mozza.

Cooked in the oven for 8 mins and it turned out perfect.

I enjoyed two slices.

I’m currently blogging while the hockey game is on so I’d better say Go Hawks Go for the hubby – he is a huge Hawks fan – And they just scored.

GOOOOOAL!!!!!!

~ Katie :)

Who’s watching the Stanley Cups Finals? Who are you rooting for? Obviously since the hubby is a Hawks fan I’m rooting for Chicago.

The Times They are a Changin’

TGIF

So it’s been a while since I last posted. I’d like to say I’ve been too busy but my eats lately haven’t been very exciting and I’ve been spending some quality time with the hubby.

I’m going to give some highlights of my eats over the past few days and then go over my new exercise goals.

Tuesday evening Matt and I grabbed a pizza. I got ham and pineapple on mine. I love pineapple on my pizza. Wednesday I wasn’t feeling like much so I made some oats and a protein green smoothie.

Oats:

• 1/3 cup of rolled oats
• 3/4 cup of UVAB
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp of flaxmeal

In the bowl:

Toppings:

• 1/2 banana
• blueberries

I promise there are oats under there.

Coconut Banana Protein Green Monster

In the blender:

• 2 handfuls of organic spinach
• 1 organic banana
• 1 tbsp of coconut
• 1/2 cup of UVAB
• 1/2 coconut milk
• 1 scoop of Lean Whey
• ice

So bright, fresh and green!

While at the grocery store Matt and I picked up a box of Skinny Cow ice-cream sandwiches. Only 130 calories and they taste just like the ones you use to have when we were kids. So good.

Last night was a healthy version of tacos.

Tacos were made from extra lean ground turkey.

Tacos Seasoning:

• 2 tsp of onion salt
• 1 tsp of chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp of oregano
• 1/2 tsp of garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp of cumin

This seasoning was awesome. Not too spicy but just spicy enough.

Topped with mozza, organic spinach, red pepper and yellow peppers on a whole wheat wrap.

I had two!

Today when I got home from work I had a bowl of organic carrots.

With some roasted garlic hummus.

Dinner tonight was subway – 6 inch turkey on cheesy bread.

*******************************************************************************

So last night Matt and I sat down to have a serious discussion about our workout/exercise goals. Lately we haven’t been very good with getting to the gym and I think I figured out the problem(s).

We have two.

First: we are over planning – making crazy workout schedules (working out at least 2 times a day) that are unrealistic with our current schedules. We are setting ourselves up for failure and so when we are not able to accomplish them we feel frustrated and disappointed and just stop going to the gym all together.

Second: we keep making goals like – lets run a 5 km this time or run a 10 km at this point. This one is especially not good for me. I get very stressed over running outside. I love to run on the treadmill inside but I just haven’t figured out the outside running thing yet and whenever I start thinking about it I get stressed and think of any excuse not to go.

So here's our new plan. Go to the gym – 5-6 times a week. Three days of cardio, three days a weight training.

Simple. Affective. Realistic.

We are going to focus on just getting back to enjoying working out again. I already feel less stressed and more excited about going back to the gym.

This morning at 5:30 am was our first day back. Our goal is to do weight training Monday, Wednesday, Friday and cardio Tuesday, Thursday and one day of the weekend.

Today was a weight session. I started with a 5 min warm-up on the treadmill then hit the weigh room.

Since next week is our first full week back and I have a plan for the start of next week I just decided to do one more day of Winter Shape Up Week 3 with a few added exercises. My weight session looked like this:

Plie and Bicep Curls	16lbs	12 reps
Bend-Over Row with Kickback	16lbs	12 reps
Ballerina Plie	15lbs	12 reps
Chest Fly and Reverse Crunch	16lbs	12 reps
Lunge and Lateral Raise	10lbs	8 reps per side
Oblique Crunch with Dumbell	12lbs	12 reps
Swimming Back Extension		15 reps
Plank		30 secs
Push-ups		6 reps
Weighted Crunch	12 lbs	12 reps

 

It was a great workout and I’m glad to get back. I have a cardio session planned for tomorrow afternoon so I’ll let you all know how that goes to.

 

I now have the house to myself so I’m going to catch up on Glee (I’m a few weeks behind and can’t wait for the Lady Gaga episode) and do some blog reading and maybe watch a girlie movie. As you can tell I have big plans.

 

Night all!

 

~ Katie :)

No Music? It’s All Good!

Evening all!

This is going to be a quick blog post since 24 starts in 25 mins and it’s the last episode ever of Jack. Must. Be. Fast.

This morning I opened my jar of Prairie Natural Protein Powder.

Lean Whey. Ingredients list was great too. Low in calories and high in protein.

Breakfast was a Coconut Banana Protein Green Smoothie.

In the blender: 2 handfuls of organic spinach, 1 banana, 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of UVAB, 1 tbsp of coconut. I like it green.

Then I headed for the gym. Once I got to the gym I realized I forgot water bottle at home. Once I stepped on the treadmill I found out that my ipod was dead as well. Crap! I am not good without my ipod. I figured I’d do a quick 5 min warm up on the treadmill then do a quick weight session.

After my warm-up I did another week 3 of Winter Warm Up by Gina. You can check out my previous workout here. My only change was: Oblique Crunch with Dumbell – 15lbs.

After my weight sess I decided to do a 10 min run. 1 min run at 5.2, 1 min run at 6.0. It felt great! I rocked my workout!

When I go home I made a bagel sandwich with sliced Turkey, organic spinach and mozza.

With a side of organic baby tomatoes.

And a large bottle of water.

Yummy.

After lunch I did a little blogging and reading before I decided to go for a short 3.5 km walk. While walking I stopped at the grocery store and at booster juice to pick up a Pineapple Freeze.

Dinner tonight I adapted from Diana. I used her Easy Chicken Penne Arrabiata with Mozza and Basil.

Mine used the following ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 box of penne
• 15 mozza balls (I made from grated mozza)
• 1 jar of tomato sauce (I used a presidents choice 3 cheese pasta sauce)
• 2 handful of baby tomatoes
• red pepper flakes
• basil (I couldn’t find fresh so I had to use the spice instead)

First I cut the chicken breast and cook them with a few red pepper flakes.

As well I cut the tomatoes in half.

And I grated some mozza and rolled them into 15 balls.

While boiling the pasta I heated up the pasta sauce.

I added some more red pepper flakes and the tomatoes.

Then I added the chicken…

And mixed it in…

Finally I added the mozza balls and covered it with a lid for about 5 mins – until the cheese is melted. Then I sprinkled a few flakes of basil on top.

Delish! Dinner is served (with a piece of cheese bread I picked up from the bakery this afternoon – unpictured).

Dinner was awesome! Thanks Diana!

Now I’m going to watch 24 with the hubby and maybe finish Lost from last night. Night!

~ Katie :)