Hey Girl, I Workout!

It's a gorgeous day and it beconed me to come out and play in it today. Aubrey's grandparents took her out for the afternoon and left me with strict instructions not to do any housework. I was only happy to follow their orders. :) I decided that I just needed to be outdoors and decided to go for a walk. That turned into the start of me beginning the Couch to 5K program. I have this longing to be a runner. I don't know where it has come from but it's just this thing in me that makes my feet move. Late last summer and into the fall I dabbeled with some jogging. This year I'm committing to running. I'm starting with the Couch to 5K program.

                 

                                                                           Source: Uploaded by user via Mandi on Pinterest

So all of this got me thinking about fitness. This weekend I discovered that I had officially dropped a pants size and with that momentum, I'm committing to tracking my Weight Watcher's Points+ diligently, and committing to exercising. It's time to kick this weight loss thing into overdrive.




Here are some tips, tricks and tools that I'm using to help.

      

                                                                                         Source: fitsugar.com via Mandi on Pinterest

1. Loving My Workout Gear


If you're going to commit to working out, honey, you need to look good doing it. Wear something that makes you feel fantastic. Why schlep around in a baggy, ratty tee and loosey goosey pants? Invest in some quality pieces that will make you excited about working out. I fell in love with a pair of workout capri's from Old Navy. They have moisture-wicking fabric and they really do keep me cool and dry. I also love that they kind of suck and hold me in. I love love love these pants! They have fantastic reviews with one reviewer comparing them to Nike's workout pants. Choose tee shirts or tank tops in colors that you love. Love your workout clothes and it won't be such a drudge to put them on.

2. Keep It Together


I keep all of my workout tees and pants together in one area. My shoes are always in the same spot too. I'm not searching through drawers or the dirty laundry to find something to workout in. It's all right there.

3. Keep It Clean


I just heard this tip recently and loved it. As soon as you are done with your workout, toss your sweaty clothes into the washing machine so they will be clean and fresh for the next day.

4. Get That App


Okay, so I'm new to the whole cell phone thing. I've been without a phone for a few years now so when I finally got an iphone 4S in January, I fell in love. And, you bet your boots that I found some great (FREE!) apps to help me on my fitness journey. I'll share them all in another post, but two that I'm really loving right now are:


MapMyWALK
MayMyFITNESS


Both are awesome apps that allow you to use your phones Bluetooth technology to record your routes as you go. They also record your calories burned, time spent doing the activity, miles walked, speed...and on and on. MapMyWALK is strictly for walking but MapMyFITNESS also allows you to record your time/pace for different activities such as leg lifts and crunches, walking the dog, cycling, swimming and push ups. You are able to keep your stats and compare them to previous workouts. You can also choose to share your stats, routes and workouts via Facebook and Twitter. I'm not going to go that far but I'm kind of really falling in love with these two apps!

5. Commit To A Time


I know that if I don't get a workout in in the morning that it's going to be hard to squeeze something in during the rest of the day. What does your schedule look like? Are you someone who can get up a little earlier to workout? Are your evenings free? Or does your schedule change daily and you need a little more flexibility? Whatever it is, evaluate your time and determine when and how you can get some physical activity into your day.




I'm curious what your tips are. Fill me in. How do you commit to moving each day? 

Weight Watchers Mini Cheesecakes

Weight Watchers Mini Cheesecake Recipe (3 P+)

These little beauties were my treat that I brought to our Play Group on Valentine's Day. There are about six  mommies who get together and three of us happen to be on Weight Watchers. So, I decided to bring this Weight Watcher version of mini cherry cheesecakes. They were delish and at just 3 P+, they were easy on the our waistlines too. Here is the recipe if you'd like to make them too!






First, crush graham crackers until you make crumbs. You need 3/4 of a cup. Add 2 Tablespoons of melted light butter (or margarine). I mixed it all in the bag so that it would be easy clean up - just throw away the bag!

Spoon 1 Tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of a lined muffin tin. These are NOT mini-muffin tins but rather regular sized muffin tins. Press crumbs into the bottom of the liners. 

Separate two eggs and set aside the egg whites. (Yes, you are counting three egg yolks. I goofed but caught myself before actually adding the extra egg white to my recipe.)

Beat 2/3 cup of light cream cheese with 6 Tablespoons of fat free cream cheese until fluffy. Add in egg whites, 3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Blend until smooth.

Pour equal amounts of filling onto graham cracker crusts. I used 1/8 measuring cup and what was left over was portioned equally into the cups. 

Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes and then let cool.

Top with 1 Tablespoon of light cherry pie filling. Eat and enjoy! One cheesecake is 3 Points Plus! Yum!!

And just for fun, here is a picture of me in my Valentine's Day get up. Any excuse for an at-home mommy to get dressed up is a win in my book! ;) 


*Complete recipe at the bottom of the post. 

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes


2 Tablespoons Light Butter
3/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
2/3 Cup of Light Cream Cheese
6 Tablespoons of Fat Free Cream Cheese
2 Egg Whites
3 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla 
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Light Fruit Pie Filling, Cherry

• Place 12 cupcake liners in a cupcake pan. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  
• In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Spoon 1 tablespoon of crumb mixture into bottom of each liner and press down gently; refrigerate until ready to use.
  
• In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat both types of cream cheese until fluffy. Add lemon juice, egg whites, vanilla extract and sugar; beat until smooth.
  
• Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly into muffin liners; bake until set, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  
• Top each cheesecake with 1 tablespoon cherry pie filling. Yields 1 cheesecake per serving.

Pinterest Saturday: Weight Watchers

Source: eat-clean-train-mean.tumblr.com via Mandi on Pinterest

Today I've reached a really big milestone in my journey with Weight Watchers. Today, I have officially lost 5% of my body weight. HOLLA!! Boy, I was doing a happy dance today at my weigh-in. I've been plugging away at Weight Watchers since the end of May. It's been quiet a battle, let me tell ya. I think this journey would be a whole lot easier if I were home where I could order my own environment. Living in another person's home has not let me take 100% control of my surroundings as far as food and healthy options are concerned. Many days I'm subject to what meals are prepared for me and somehow I have to work that into my daily points allotment. It's been a struggle but I can see my mindset totally changing. I crave exercise - I've even begun to run! It's definitaly a journey and one that some days, I'll admit, I'm not too excited to be on. But today when I reached that goal of losing 5% of my body weight, well, let me tell you, it felt amazing. I can't wait until the next 5% is off!

So, today's Pinterest Saturday is dedicated to Weight Watchers and all things Fitness. I hope you can grab a tasty new recipe or a little motivation to get moving!

Source: recipe-diaries.com via Mandi on Pinterest

I've made these muffins/cupcakes and they are AMAZING. They are "lick the bowl" kind of good. Just make sure you are tracking those licks as points! I have yet to make the frosting so that's something I'm pretty sure that will take these muffins/cupcakes over the top!

Source: recipe-diaries.com via Mandi on Pinterest

I'm hoping to make this recipe some night for my Friday night craft night with my friend, Christine. Weight Watchers has come out with this little mini gingersnap cookies that can be purchased at the meetings. I think they would be delish dunked in this dip!

Source: recipe-diaries.com via Mandi on Pinterest

Give me cheesecake and call me a happy girl. These mini-ones looks soooo tasty. I was disapointed when I saw the recipe called for light pie-filling. But! I was in our grocery store and was delighted to see that they actually had light pie filling! I can't wait to make these yummie looking morsels!

Source: fashionmeetsfood.com via Mandi on Pinterest

I must love desserts. I mean, really. :) Yum!

Source: sweatsparkles.tumblr.com via Mandi on Pinterest

I saw this to myself as I'm running...or slowly jogging. :)

Source: fitnessinspiration.tumblr.com via Mandi on Pinterest

NO!

Source: recipe-diaries.com via Mandi on Pinterest

Bubble Pizza. This looks so good. I just love pizza and to think that this is Weight Watchers friendly. Yum-o!

Source: healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com via Mandi on Pinterest

I've come to love Zumba. I learned at my WW meeting that an hour of Zumba can earn you 8 to 15 activity points depending on how hard you work. Yeow!! I love that if you follow this link you can watch Zumba fitness videos. Our class is $10 each session so it will be nice to do these inbetween my paid classes.

Source: thetidynest.com via Mandi on Pinterest

I love this idea of putting together smoothie packs for those busy mornings. Follow the link to see how!

Source: hungry-girl.com via Mandi on Pinterest

I am a Shamrock Shake junkie. I LOVE them. I'm excited the Hungry Girl made her own version.

Source: realsimple.com via Mandi on Pinterest

This snack is right up my alley. Light vanilla yogurt, pumpkin pie and some pumpkin pie spice. I'm hoping to give this one a whirl this week!

Source: google.com via Mandi on Pinterest

And finally, there are no more excuses as to why you can't exercise - especially when traveling. I'm totally speaking to myself here. Resistance bands are light, compact and you can take them anywhere and get a great workout.


So here's to having a great upcoming week filled with all things health and fitness! Anyone one else on Weight Watchers? I'd love to hear your favorite tips and recipes!


Feel free to follow along with me on Pinterest. Just follow this link to get to my page. I'll follow you back because the more inspiration, the merrier!!

Four Foodies Get Fit

Hi everyone! Can I just say how much encouragement I felt from my last post? I mean, I was completely overwhelmed with your support, concern, and sweet words of encouragement. It means the world to me and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to let you know that I am feeling worlds better. Shane left for home yesterday and though I cried pretty hard as I watched him drive away, I had a good evening with my parents watching American Idol. Speaking of tv, that is one guilty pleasure I am indulging in while home. I have three stations back home and my tv screen is smaller than my laptop screen! So I am definatly enjoying watching ol' television. :) Do you have a guilty pleasure tv show?

I also wanted to let you know about a new blog I have created with my Mom and sisters. It's called "Four Foodies Get Fit" and is all about our journey to health and fitness. We are each at different stages of our journey but we are trying to spur one another on to success. I've officially joined Weight Watchers Online and am going about my weight loss that way. I'm super excited about this blog! If you are on a weight loss journey, or are looking for some encouragement from four foodies who are going through it too - pop on over! We'd love to see you!

I also wanted to let everyone know that I will be back to blogging. Can I just tell you how much I miss it?? I miss catching up what is going on with ya'll as well! I'll see you soon and in the meantime, please check out Four Foodies!

Have a great night!

Prepping Ahead

"If you fail to plan, plan to fail."

So, I'm planning.

I've mentioned briefly that I'm plugging away at Weight Watchers. My hubby has gained a few pounds that he'd like to get rid of and though he's not doing any sort of weight loss program, I am doing my best to set up a healthy environment for us. He just finished trade school where he was living out of town and he told me to tell you that all he could afford was MGD and chicken wings. Sheesh. :)

So to help us manage this weight loss thing better, I'm setting up our environment. Here's what I'm doing.


1. Kicking The Junk To The Curb

I purposly DON'T buy junk. Potato chips, ice-cream and candy have not passed the threshold of this house in a few months. We've opted for pretzels instead of chips. And here's something - I love dip. Heluva dip. I'm even it's fan on Facebook. I haven't purchased any in awhile because it's just one of those treats that I could literally sit and eat the whole container. So I've decided that when I do buy it - I'll forgo the chip dipping and dip my veggies in it instead. And honestly, I'm excited about it!


2. Preparing For A Chocolate Fix

A girl has to have chocolate right? So here's how we are handeling that fix. The hubby bought some Nature Valley granola bars at Walmart for $2. They are actually called Dark Chocolate Nut. Yum!! And...dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you, right? I'm also anxious to try this recipe for Black Bean Brownies. Sounds gross, right? But apparently they are amazing! I have the beans and the brownie mix - so when I hit a chocolate fix, I'll definatly be making them. I also have the ingredients for this Hungry Girl Yum Yum Brownie recipe using just a box of devil's food cake mix and solid pack pumpkin.


3. Preppin' My F & V

I wash my grapes and then spin them dry in my salad spinner.

Important to get them really dry so they don't spoil too quickly.

I prep my veggies and some fruit ahead of time. I set some time aside shortly after I go grocery shopping and wash and chop my produce.

Inevitably, it ALWAYS happens that I'm running behind in my day and never want to chop my veggies and such before lunch.

Lettuce - washed and cut in a bag (add a wet paper towel to help keep lettuce fresh),

Grapes, Cucumbers, Green Onions

I usually grab what is convenient and already made. Now I have no excuses when it comes to making healthy lunches. Everything is all ready for me! I can't even tell you how many wonderful salads and meals I've made with these already prepped ingredients.


4. Preparing Some Protein

At the top of the week, I prepped ahead this chicken. These quarter chickens were only a little over $5. Rinse chicken and cut away any visible fat.

Brush tops with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Roast in oven at 350 F for about 45 minutes. Give or take. Check your meat thermometer for doneness. I grabbed this idea from Ina Garten. She roasts up chicken and then uses the meat (minus the skin) for things like chicken salad and shredded chicken meat for whatever recipe she is making.

Leaving the skin on during cooking seals in the juices and you are left with such a nice moist chicken full of flavor. After the chicken has cooled slightly, remove the skin, shred and either eat or stock away for later. You can even put the shredded chicken in a freezer bag or container and store in the freezer for a later time. Convenient!


So there you go! A little prep ahead saves a world of time in the long run. I think our waistlines are thanking us.

Do you have any planning tips to pass along? I'd love to hear them!

I'm hooking up with Keelie and her Food Faves and Finds party!

Food Faves and Finds - Salmon and Greek Salad

Today I'm hooking up with Keelie from Real Fat. She's blogging about her weight loss journey. She's so transparent and stinkin' funny! Her blog is packed with all kinds of tips and food ideas. She's transformed her body in just two months. It's been really awesome to see. Plus, she's just plain sweet! She's started posting her Favorite Foods and Finds every Friday and has asked us to hook up with her. So, I'm doing just that! (And because I'm just not that smart, I can't figure out how to ever add those cute buttons that people make to link back to their blog - HELP! - so I'll just provide the old fashioned link so you can hop over to see everyone else's fun finds.)

Oh, by the way, I've started Weight Watchers again. Just thought I'd throw that in there. :)


I absolutely love salmon. I can't get enough of it. I hate all things fish related so this is a really weird one for me. But I honestly could eat the whole package I love it so much. After counting the points, I realized that each fillet is less than 2 points each so I guess it wouldn't be that bad but I'm trying to put gluteny on the back burner.


I start with a frozen package of wild Pacific salmon. I let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

I then brush the top with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper.

Bake on a lined baking sheet at 450 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes.

(The package says 10 minutes but I usually add a couple minutes on to the cooking time.)

The salad is a version of a Greek Salad. Here is what I did:

• Chop one cup of cucumber.
• Chop one cup of tomato. 
• Chop one small red onion into bite sized pieces.
• (You can add Calamata olives but I didn't have any on hand.)
• Sprinkle salad with dried orageno. (The recipe calls for fresh but I didn't have any of this either.)
• Top with feta cheese. (Mine had gone bad - stinky!! - so I used some mozzarella cheese cut into small pieces. )
• Whisk two teaspoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of red wine vinegar together until emulsified. Pour over salad. Toss.

Because I'm goofy, I decided to put this into the oven during the last few minutes of the salmon cooking. It melted the cheese, softened the veggies and warmed everything so nicely. I loved it that way!

I couldn't eat all of the salad during one sitting - so I saved it for my dinner. But I did mow down two salmon fillets. LOVE them!!

Points Breakdown:

One Salmon Fillet - 2 points (4 for me since I had 2)

Salad - 2 points for oil (I didn't eat all of the oil as a lot was left in the bottom of the bowl but I still counted it as 2 points since I added oil to the salmon.)

              Veggies - 0 points
              Cheese - 4 points (I had had two serving sizes as I was really low on points this day.)


An eight point super filling lunch! Yum!!

A Feature and A Workout

I'm so incredibly excited! My pumpkins and candy corn were featured on Someday Crafts. There a so many other wonderful pumpkin projects showcased. I can't wait to try some out. If you havne't been to this blog, please stop over. You'll find soooo many great ideas of things to make and do.

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The beginning of September marked a change for me. I wanted to start getting back into counting points for Weight Watchers and I definatly wanted to increase my exercise. I had been Shredding quiet regularly at the beginning of the year but injured my knee as I moved into Phase 2 of the Shred with Jillian Michaels. When I did that, I basically stopped exercising. So, I'm not trying to get back into the swing of things.

I read a blog called Shopping Is My Cardio and decided to sign up for their September challenge. The challenge was to exercise - or move - for at least 20 minutes a day. I took them up on it. We need to keep a calendar of our progress. Since the computers in my life are down I was not able to post my calendar weekly. I had been keeping track of things in my day planner but since each day has it's own page, I couldn't photograph each page individually. I threw this calendar together on the fly.

So today here is my month of September calendar. As you can see, I'm still trying to get into the swing of things. Some days I'm just barely hitting over that 20 minute mark. But the important thing is, I'm moving, right? Today I danced with my neice to one of her Nickelodeon dancing shows, did some stretching, and crunches. I'm going shopping with my Mom and sister later so I'll be doing some walking. Nothing super major but again, the point is to move, right?

Here is my calendar: