Wednesday, August 26, 2015

WIAW #57: What I've Eaten Lately

Hey, strangers!  Long time, no see!  We have two things to thank for that: my foot/ankle sprain has pretty much sidelined me from working out.  I've just now been able to go for walks since Monday after about ten days of no activity at all.  

We can also continue to blame my lack of blogging on my transition back into the working world.  Real talk: it's tough.  I feel like I'm going, going, going all the time at school, and then going, going, going at home.  I love it all, of course, but I just need to learn how to balance it all, as well as take some time for myself to relax (or, you know, eat and drink enough water!).

Hopefully when I find that balance (which will be in no more than two weeks--I'm setting a goal!), I can attend to the blog a little more.  I'll post when I can, but just know that home > school > blog right now!

Let's catch up a little more by looking at what I've been eating lately.
I'm linking up with other bloggers for What I Ate Wednesday!  Thanks, Jenn, for creating this phenomenon and for the link-up!

Breakfasts
My breakfasts lately have been two-parters.  First, I'll have a bowl of oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter mixed in while feeding Baby Fish.  On the way to work, I'll drink Shakeology for some added protein and nutrition to get me through until lunch.

Lunches
My lunches have been a mix of sandwiches, salads, and leftovers.  Basically, whatever I have in the house that's easy to throw together the night before (or quickly in the morning).  I also usually have a piece of fruit and baby carrots on the side or as a post-lunch snack.  

Afternoon Snacks
Much to the demise of my healthy eating (and my wallet!), I've been stopping somewhere for a sweet treat in the afternoon.  I'll either go by at a local donut shop or coffee shop for a drink and a sweet snack.  It's how I've been dealing with my stress, but it's not making me feel good.

This week, I set a goal to not make this stop in the afternoon, and I've been successful so far this week! I'm eating a Greek yogurt before leaving school, which seems to satisfy the sweet tooth without being too bad for me.

Dinners

I've been doing well with meal planning for the last three weeks, which also includes trying some new recipes!  Our dinners usually include a lean meat and a vegetable, and I feel like we've had some really healthy meals overall.  Meal planning has made the evenings less stressful, since I already know what I'm making and have everything on hand already.  Easy peasy--just have to cook!

So, that's what I've been eating!  I know that I need to include a morning snack and make my afternoon snack more healthy.  Those are the goals for the next week to get back in to that habit.

Question for you: What have you eaten lately?

Friday, August 14, 2015

Friday Five: Catching Up

Well, hey, everyone!  I've been away from the blog thanks to school starting.  It's been a bit of an adjustment to working with a baby AND going back in to the classroom! 

So let's take some time to catch up from the week!  Here are five things that have been going on since we talked last:

1. I injured myself last night.
Starting off on a sad note, I somehow fell walking out of my house and did something to my foot.  Fortunately, I don't believe it's broken, but according to my husband and the PT he works with, it's a hematoma.  And it's painful.  Let me tell you, work today and caring for a 4-month old is going to be interesting with my funny limp!

2. Monday's dinner was the epitome of fresh seafood!
Joe was at a bachelor party last weekend in Key West, which included some lobstering!  He brought 4 lobster tails back, and we cooked them up on Monday night for dinner.  They were fresh and delicious!!  I love fresh foods, and getting seafood over the summer that was caught ourselves (like scallops last year) is always a great treat for dinner.

3.  I discovered a new donut shop nearby.  And it's dangerous.
Y'all, Daylight Donuts is near our house and they have a red velvet donut.  It's so, so good.  I've gone back two other times to buy them, they're that good!  Yum yum!

4. Baby Fish had her first bite of baby food!
At her 4-month appointment on Monday, the doctor said to go ahead and try stage 1 baby food with her.  We decided to try squash first and started it on Wednesday night.  She ate a few bites but was over it pretty quickly.  Tequila was obviously interested in what we were doing, though!

5. Going back to work has been fairly simple with a happy baby.
Baby Fish's happy and go-with-the-flow disposition has made the transition back to work relatively easy!  It's still quite an adjustment going back to the classroom, having work to bring home, and most importantly, having a child to care for.  She's such an easy-going baby that it's made things much easier on me!!  She's doing great at day care and really soaks in all the time we have together when we get home.  It's going well so far!

I'm hoping to be back to a more regular posting schedule next week, but we will see!  (My baby > my job > the blog in the priorities list)  Hope y'all have a good weekend!

Linking up with Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar for Friday Five!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

WIAW #56: Back to Work/School

What, it's Wednesday already?!?  That means that the students start back tomorrow!  Crazy that my 6th year of teaching is just about to begin!  Things have been quite busy for me since pre-planning started last Thursday, and it's quite an adjustment having a baby to come home to now.  I love it, though, and will certainly adjust to everything soon!

(Side note: Why are we starting on a Thursday??  It's really messing with my head!)

Anyway, let's get on to some What I Ate Wednesday fun!
I'm linking up with Jenn to share with you most of my meals from diner on Monday and all of Tuesday! I'm working hard to follow my meal plan (as well as the 21 Day Fix diet), and so far everything is going well.  Check out with other bloggers are eating over at Peas and Crayons!

Monday Dinner
I just had to share a picture of Monday's dinner because I feel like it turned out rather nice-looking (especially for me)!
Grilled fish tostadas were on the menu, and I think they turned out well.  Joe seemed to enjoy them, too, so it was a dinner win all around!

Tuesday Breakfast
I followed my meal plan and had a bowl of oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter mixed in.  Simple, yet tasty!
21DF containers: 1 yellow, 1 tsp

Morning Snack
This is a recycled photo, but my morning snack was pineapple Chobani Greek yogurt with some oats mixed in.  Another simple snack that was pretty filling
21DF containers: 1 red, 0.5 yellow, 0.5 purple

Lunch
I went home for lunch and made myself a salad topped with orange peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I scarfed that down while finished up my dinner preparations in the crock pot, then I ate a fruit cup of pineapple.
Before I headed back to school, I mixed up my Shakeology with coffee, almond milk, and a little vanilla extract.  It was the perfect way to have a "treat" in the afternoon that was actually healthy!
21DF containers: 2 green, 0.5 purple, 1 red

Afternoon Snack
I left my planned afternoon snack at school, so I grabbed this protein granola bar before heading off to my workout.  Not exactly on the meal plan, but it did a good job of holding me over until dinner!
21DF container: I'm counting it as 1 yellow, 2 tsp

Dinner
I planned to make stuffed peppers in the crock pot so that I could go to my exercise group without delaying our meal.  I followed this recipe, and they turned out great!
There were also leftovers, so we are good to go for dinner later in the week.  Score!
21 DF containers: 2 green, 2 red, 1 blue, 0.5 yellow (rice mixed in)

21DF Container Totals: 4/4 green, 4/4 red, 3/3 yellow, 1/3 purple, 1/1 blue, 0/1 orange, 3/4 tsp
I'm lacking in the purple (fruit), so I'm going to work on that today!

Workout

I finally was able to attend the mommy fitness group at the park just up the street from our house!  We walked a lap on the track, did 2 rounds of a core circuit, walked another lap, then did 2 more rounds of the core exercises.  It was a good workout, but it was also a relaxed environment and a lot of fun!  I'm looking forward to continuing to attend every Tuesday evening.

I'm really pleased with my day of eats, as well as the fact that I am staying on my meal plan so far!

Question for you:  Do you meal plan or follow a specific diet?

Monday, August 3, 2015

Meal Plan Monday + Training Log 8/3

Hey, everyone!  I know it's been a little bit since I've posted, but life just got in the way.  I was busy last week enjoying my last few days as a stay-at-home mom before pre-planning started in Thursday!
My lack of posting (and at times, a lack of a desire to post) got me to thinking about the blog and what to do about it.  I've been a little uninterested in blogging lately and think I figured out why!

I feel as though I've gotten away from my true purpose of starting this blog, which is sharing my pursuit of healthy food, fitness, and faith.  So, I did some reflecting and have some ideas for how I'm going to get back to that!

The first starts today; instead of a weekend recap and training log post every Monday, I'm going to share my meal and workout plan for the coming week and log my training from the previous week.  Of course, I will still share some items from our weekends, but I don't want the sole focus of a weekly post to not focus on one of the food, fitness, or faith categories.

So, let's dive right in to this week's Meal Plan Monday and Training Log!!

Meal/Workout Plan 8/3-8/9
After two failed attempts, I'm planning to fully commit to another round of the 21 Day Fix.  I feel like having a more set schedule with work/day care, I know when I can fit in the daily 30-minute workouts and will commit to getting them done.  My workout plan is to complete the workouts as prescribed by the 21DF, while adding in 2 mid-week runs and 1 long run on Sunday.

I also plan to follow the 21DF meal plan and have already prepped my food for the week!  Breakfasts will be oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter and a piece of fruit.  Lunches will be a salad with varied toppings, or leftovers from dinner.  Dinners will look like this:
Monday-Grilled Fish Tostadas
Tuesday-Stuffed Peppers
Wednesday-Crockpot Apple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Thursday-Leftovers
Friday-Quinoa bowl with chicken and veggies
Saturday-Takeout
Sunday-Leftovers
I'm looking forward to the new recipes I'll be trying on Monday and Wednesday.  They sound delicious and fit in perfectly to the 21DF diet plan!

Training Log 7/27-8/2
This week was not a good one on the workout front.  In fact, aside from walks on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, they were non-existent!  I'm hoping that I'll have a lot more to share in next week's training log.

Question for you: What's your meal plan for the week?  Share a recipe that you're excited to try!