Friday treats {the I heart Skittles edition}...

Well, this week didn't go as good as last week during Friday Treats. I blame the Skittles. Skittles and Starbursts are my weakness. I don't particularly like chocolate unless it is dipped on a strawberry or mixed in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

But as far as going out of control is concerned - I know what it was. I've been following the barre3 ~ 28 to Great challenge food this week and am feeling deprived. I am SICK of eating lettuce. This is why weight watchers has worked for me...I can still eat what I want to. It's not that I'm not loving the challenge but I feel so.freaking.hungry. It also didn't help yesterday that a co-worker sat across from me at lunch eating a Burgerville burger and fries and commenting on how good it was. Yeah, that didn't help one bit.

Back to the treats...

My plan of attack this week was to get fruits and veggies (and a few Skittles and 1/4 of a muffin) before lunch. THEN...when I went back in for lunch I'd have more fruits and veggies and a treat or two (or a few handfuls of Skittles) of what was left. It worked...until I went back in for lunch!

2nd Grade Team ~ 1.11.13

 

Let's start at the top and go around.

 

pretzels, chipotle pretzel thins, tortillas chips, salsa with cream cheese, brownie bites, mixed fruit salad, random carb tray (that's my name for it), sweet peppers, Costco muffins, almond cinnamon roles, Greek dill yogurt dip, tangerines, veggie tray. There was also chips, candy, and SKITTLES on the table.

 

So, how'd I do?? Well, like I said. There were Skittles involved. Okay, let's talk about Skittles and just get it over with. I love sweet sugar. Not chocolate, sugar. I had quite a few, probably half a cup, which it turns out is 9 weight watchers points. 9/26 for the day. Whoops.

 

Moving on...

 

From the table I had 1/2 an almond muffin, way too many tortilla chips with salsa, 3 tangerines, about 1/2 cup mixed fruit, and about 1/2 cups carrots.

 

Fingers crossed {that I do better next week...and there aren't any Skittles}...

well, i didn't pass out!

Today, I switched up my normal routine {aka my trip to barre3} for a cardio session at the gym. I am not a runner. I don't really plan on being a runner. But today, I ran a mile without stopping and I could not be more proud of myself! I'm running in a Spartan Race in August so I want to be able to run a pretty easy 3 miles by that time. Today was just the start :) I'm going to try to run a mile or more every week...

1 mile {possibly ever}

 

I started running at 5 minutes at .3 miles. I stopped running at 21:10 at 1.3 miles.

 

That equals a 16 minute mile. Part of me wanted to take it negative...but I won't because...

 

Fingers crossed {that when I do it again it's easier}...

 

 

getting ready for the week...

This year I've been bringing my lunch every day...well, I've always brought my lunch but now I'm bringing healthier foods in them! This sure does involved a lot of prepping!! Here is how I go about prepping my food!!

It really starts with menu planning, which I'm getting better at. But I have finally found one weekly menu/list that I like! I'm on week 3 of using it - which is a definite plus! I like this plan type because I can write what I need for specific meals, as well as what I need for the rest of the house. My little orange sticky note is things that over the week, I realized that we needed. I just added them to this week's list! It's simple, clean, and has enough space to write!

meal plan from life in yellow

 

After menu planning, comes the shopping. I used to not mind grocery shopping when all I was picking out was the same old boxed foods every week. It's now a little more work! The last few months I've been stocking up at WinCo with any canned/dry goods like pasta, rice, beans, butter. Basically anything that isn't a fruit, veggie, or meat. I buy those things at New Seasons. Our grocery budget has increased because we are buying GREAT food but our waistlines are shrinking...so I suppose in the end it is worth it :) I need to be better about going to two stores {for the savings} but sometimes I just don't want to!

 

After I get home from shopping is when my old ways need to take heed to my new/not yet implemented ways. Now that I have planning & shopping managed {for the most part} I want to focus on my pantry and my fridge. That's going to be my goal for the month of January. Organize it!!! My husband works 3/4 of the weekends in January...maybe I should tell him of my plans!

 

Though tonight...I started some of my prepping for the newest round of the barre3 28 to great challenge! A big proponent of the challenge food portion is salads and veggies! Last time I did the barre3 challenges I just wasn't prepared. I was just learning about food, whole food, I was so overwhelmed. This time, I planned out how I wanted the food prep to look. It took about an hour to clean, cut, and store all the veggies but it will be worth it this week when all I have to do is reach into the fridge and get whatever toppings I want for my salad! This week and next weekend my goal is to tackle finding more veggies recipes!

 

veggies for salads and snacks!

 

croutons {for the hubs}, hard boiled eggs, Roma tomatoes, black olives, avocado, grape tomatoes, sweet peppers, green onions, salsa crock pot chicken, craisins {for the hubs}, pecans, celery, red onion, carrots, cauliflower. Added later -artichoke hearts.

 

Here's our fridge...very full!!!

 

Top. Condiments, liquids.

Middle. Salad supplies, lunch for tomorrow, barre3 bars, yogurt for hubs, eggs.

Middle Drawer. Cheeses for hubs.

Bottom shelf. Lettuces.

Left bottom drawer. Raw meats.

Right bottom drawer. Extra veggies.

 

Super pumped to start this challenge with so many other people doing it too! It really helps me considering I am SUCH a "village" person. I'm hoping this will really instill good eating habits, shopping habits, and prepping habits.

 

Fingers crossed {that this first week goes amazing}...

weekly treats in the staff room...

Each Friday is our staff room a different group of teachers is in charge of "treats" day. It is a weekly will power struggle for me. Sometimes I do really good - sometimes I don't.  It's easiest on the days where there are fruits & veggies because then I try to eat those first and let myself have a little bit of something I'd really like {but don't need}. I'd like to be able to show weekly how I handled the Friday Treats Table... I'll try to post about what I was thinking, what I ate, and how I felt.

Friday, January 4th ~ 5th Grade Team

 

Muffins from Costco, red grapes, tangerines, strawberries, bananas, cherries, Club crackers, variety of cheese.

 

 

What I had ~ 2 tangerines, 4 crackers (with my lunch), and 1/2 of the almond poppy seed muffins.

 

I was happy that there was fruit & veggies to choose from. I ate the fruit and 1/2 muffin after school had started. I've started eating a "snack" about half way through the morning - usually an apple. It's really helped! For lunch on Friday I didn't have a salad because I didn't have any lettuce so I had a larger portion of soup. I probably didn't need those 4 crackers but in my head I said "well, at least they are multi-grain".

 

We'll see what next week brings!

 

Does anyone else have treats around at work?? All week? On certain days?

 

I actually like that it's really only every Friday. I can mentally prepare for it!

 

Fingers crossed {that next week there is fruits & veggies}!!!

a bit on barre3...

It's not secret I LOVE barre3. Last week I got a fun little email...

:) Since I'm a countdown queen I actually knew this day was coming but I just love a company who prides itself in customer relations. I actually didn't start going continuously until April 23rd, 2012 {but who's counting}?!?! But, in this last year, my life has been changed so much by this place...words can barely describe it. As of today...I've actually taken 60 classes since April. Happy dance!

I'm also excited to be taking part, again, in the barre3 28 to Great challenge. This time though, I won't be a tester, I'll be participating with so many other wonderful people. I know now, that my back can't handle 6 days a week of barre3 so I've planned out some modifications. This time though, Jason is on board with the eating portion of the challenge, which will make it actually happen!

I'm excited to see what this challenge will bring. I have 2.5 pounds {as of this morning} to go to hit -60!!!

Oh, and one more {DELICIOUS} thing...

barre3 bar

 

The barre3 bar is so delicious. It is a grain free, sugar free energy bar that really tastes like a dessert. I used green grape raisins instead of raisins or gogi berries. I also added a 1/4 tsp of vanilla...but I don't think it'll need it next time {as in, today, when I make them again}.

Fingers crossed...

the next steps...

While 2012 will always be the year that started this journey for me...I'm hoping 2013 will be the year the pieces really begin come together! There's more to life than the list below but this is where I'll be focusing a portion of my energy.

Here's a few ways I'm planning on making this happen!

Naturopathy

I have my first appointment for the end of February. I'm actually kind of happy that it's that far out. It will allow me to go to my 1 year Endocrinology checkup January 22nd and process some of the information I recieve there. It's my plan to go off the Metformin sometime in the next year. It may be February, it may not, but I'm okay with either way. I know there are a few insulin-inhibitors out there, I just need to educate myself about them. My naturopath will also help me with this. I found a nathuropath who isn't totally opposed to "western medicine" so I am happy with that. More updates next year as I begin treatment with her! The above picture was actually from a handout she had in her office...pretty much sums me up! I'm excited to learn more about PCOS this year and what it means for my future.

Healthy Eating Choices/Routine {this is NOT a diet}

I plan on this being the year I start to understand food more. Part of this will be through the naturopath, part through the barre3 challenge I'm doing, part towards what I've read in the last year, and part in ways I cannot yet imagine. I have it on my "to do list" to watch/read Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and Forks Over Knives. While both of these programs seems pretty extreme I know there are pieces I can take and put into my life. I need to start planning and implementing a menu/rotation and also setting aside a time one or two days a week to cut veggies and foods so I'm not doing it every.single.night because that can get tiring! I am ready to take the next step in food. It's been over half a year since we've had crackers or candy in the house. {I'm not counting the ONE candy cane Santa brought me}.

Exercise

This is actually becoming the easiest part of my routine. I am in love with barre3 - which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who reads this blog! And while I've always wanted to become a runner I just don't know if it is in the cards for me. I'd need a dozen rolls of duct tape (to tape my boobs down) and a few dozen inhalers (to keep my asthma in check). Oh, and a new lower back! Arthritis and running don't seem to go well together. Last year my goal was to workout 4 days per week. And while I don't think I hit that, I bet I came close! I bet I did 3 times a year. This year I KNOW I can do 3 times a week. I'm going to try to figure out a real & easy way for me to track all of this...you know how I like my data!

Personal Balance

This is a tough one for me. It's tough for me to deal with and tough for me to blog about, partly because I don't know who is reading this blog. I haven't made the blog private yet...because I want to inspire people, not hide from them. But because of that, there are just some things I won't talk about. I recently watched The Secret. I was very intrigued by it. I think I actually used to have the book but I never read it and it is no longer on the shelf so I must have dontaed it. It just wasn't the time for me to hear the message. I'm not even sure this is the time but when I was listening to it I knew I wanted to watch it again, with my husband. Maybe there is something to it...

Personal Relationships & Technology

I want to unplug and reconnect with those around me, especially my husband. We both definitely need time to unwind and veg in the evenings but it is getting old being on the computer or iPad's all evening. I know that my husband's job requires him to work 24/7 and while I don't like it, the fact that he has to do it isn't going to change. We've starting by sitting back at the dinner table instead of infront of the TV. And even though it is only 10 minutes or so...it's 10 minutes that I now look forward to after only 1 week of implementation.

 

I also have some friendships I need to continue to workout. Some that I need to not work as hard at. And a few I'd like to try to progress from the "a few times a year friend" to something more. I want to try to find new ways to connect with my friends. Birthday cards? FaceTime? Writing a letter? If anyone has any other ideas...feel free to leave them as a comment!

 

 

 

Fingers crossed {that this is the best year ever}...