The Joy of Cooking

While I was deployed, one of the thing I missed most was being able to cook for myself!  Don't get me wrong, having three meals a day prepared for me in the chow hall was also nice.  All I had to do was show up and there was a buffet of choices waiting for me...the biggest issue was that the vegetarian fare was somewhat lacking.  The typical Marine wants meat to be a part of EVERYTHING!  

So now that I'm back my kitchen awaits me!  Last week I made a whole-wheat, green bean, and kidney bean salad that lasted me all week (I love to pack my lunch and save some $$$).  Today I decided to try something new - Black Bean and Chickpea Chili with Veggie Crumbles - a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

My favorite part of cooking is actually the prepping of vegetables!  I love to lay them all out and chop away, I find it to be very relaxing.  This recipe called for an onion, two green bell peppers and five sliced carrots.  

It took me approximately 1.5 hours from start to finish.  And I had a delicious and healthy meal waiting for me for lunch!  According to the website, each serving has 147 calories, 5.3g of fat, and 16.5g carbs.  (That might be if it has ground turkey in it, which is optional.  The nutritional content might change with the veggie crumbles.)

And the final and delicious result!!!

    

Picky Bars Review - Part 1

As you know, my sister is in Afghanistan right now, but she managed to find time in her busy schedule to review one of her FAVORITE products ever! Here's what she sent me:


It kind of reads like a sales pitch...but I really do believe all of this stuff! (I'm not sure I was supposed to include this disclaimer:)

Over the years I have tried so many pre/post workout snacks...but none have compared to how tasty and filling the Picky Bars are.  They are much smaller than a normal energy bar, but that's part of what is so great about them!  I can eat one 20 min before a run or a long bike ride and it's not overly filling.  It gives me the energy I need to make it through a long workout.  Additionally, as you can see from my picture below, it's great post-workout fuel to reenergize my body.  After a seven mile run, I definitely needed to refuel the tank!

When we flew over here to Afghanistan, I didn't want to carry a ton of extra stuff, but I knew that the food on the plane might not be vegetarian-friendly...I was right.  Luckily, I had packed a bunch of Picky Bars, which came in very handy!  They are small, so I could pack lots of them!

Picky Bars also taste awesome!  I love that they put a few chocolate chips in there!  So, if you haven't tried them - WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  I promise that you will not be disappointed!


(Ok, so there you have Jessica's two cents. Mine is forthcoming as I recently received this awesome package in the mail courtesy of the fine folks at Picky Bars:

I'm a Picky Bar virgin, and a hater of most energy bars, so I promise to give you my honest perspective. But I'm feeling pretty confident about them after hearing Jessica's rave!)

Only the Rubber Balls Can Be Dropped...

Source

Yes, kind of a weird title for a running blog post, but give me about 30 sec of your time to explain!  In life we juggle so many balls - work, family, exercise, food, kids, pets, and so on.  Some of the balls are made of glass and some are made of rubber...you can only drop the rubber ones!  Do you really HAVE to watch that latest episode of The Office at 10 pm?  Will anyone think worse of you if you don't get those Christmas cards in the mail TODAY?  (These are examples of rubber balls!)

Ok, with that explanation, FitFluential reminds us that it is key to find balance in four specific areas: Eat, Sleep, Move, Enjoy!  Here are a few recommendations for how to find that balance!

1) Make your bedroom a sanctuary!  The bedroom should be reserved for two things - sleep and sex!  Try not to bring your problems into the bedroom with you.  Leave the TV in the family room, all phones/iPods/iPads (pretty much anything you plug into a wall) should be left outside of this sanctuary.

This just looks peaceful!  (Source)

2) Stick to a schedule.  For example, I know that I have to be up at 5 am every day to get to work by 6 am.  That means that I need to be in bed no later than 10 pm if I want to get at least seven hours of sleep. I do not alter this on the weekends.  I love to get up early because I feel like I'm more productive.  Try not to change your sleeping schedule just because you can.

3) Plan your meals, but don't beat yourself up for having that cookie at the office holiday party.  As the saying goes, "You are what you eat."  If you focus on eating healthy foods 90% of the time, your body will thank you for it.  Giving in once in a while (and no, that doesn't mean you can have a cheat "weekend") is good for you and increases your chances of sticking to the 90% healthy.  Everything in MODERATION!

4) Develop a workout schedule....and stick to it.  Try to come up with fun things to do with friends during the holiday season that are not centered around food (like most holiday festivities are).  Movement helps increase your energy levels...and you need a lot of energy during this busy holiday season!

Source

5) Take five minutes a day to meditate or make a gratitude list.  We all get so caught up in buying  presents, decorating the tree, mailing cards, etc that we forget to just enjoy being.  Calm your mind, be thankful for what you have and your body will thank you for it.  

Food Prep: The dreaded chore

For anyone like us, you're incredibly busy from Monday through Friday.  The last thing you want to do after a long day on Tuesday is prepare a healthy meal for yourself for Wednesday's lunch!  If you're reading this blog, we know you are very active and HEALTHY and a quick trip to the McDonald's drive-thru will NOT cut it for you.  This leads us into the dreaded chore....Food Prep.

I'm notoriously terrible about planning ahead, but when I remember, I build in an hour on Sunday to prepare a dish that I can take in my lunchbox all week.  It's never anything fancy and it has to be something that doesn't need to be microwaved...MIL continues to warn me of the dangers of the microwave!

Here's an example of what I make:

Start with the base of the dish, which for me was quinoa.  A quick 20-minutes on the stove and I have a HUGE helping of quinoa to last all week.  Then I choose some vegetables to add, this time I went with mushrooms and green beans (I picked up the beans at one of the local farmer's markets!).  I like the veggies to stay crunchy, so I quickly sauteed them in a tiny bit of sesame oil, which adds a great flavor!

As a vegetarian, I also like to ensure I add a protein to my lunch.  For this dish, I went with some delicious tofu!  I'm a huge fan of all those fake meat products, but I am trying to avoid them - it takes a LOT of processing to make a soy bean taste like turkey...

Combine it all in an air-tight container and VOILA - you have a ready made lunch for the week!

While we were at the farmer's market, I also picked up a spaghetti squash.  So easy to make and very delicious.  This was going to also go with me to lunch this week, but Sean and I were hungry when it came out of the oven...and ended up eating 2/3 of it.  I have a little bit left, so I'll use this for dinner one night this week.

Other things I make sure to have on hand for lunch packing:

-Raw mixed nuts

-Bananas and Apples

-Celery and carrots

-Small packets of almond butter

Do you pack your lunch for work?  Is it a daily process or do you prep your food on Sunday?  What's your favorite "Take to Work" Dish?

Welcome to the New You

We were recently invited to become FitFluential Ambassadors and we are super excited about it!  We've been into sports since we were little.  Our mom was convinced that we should try a little bit of everything.  Here are some of the activities she got us involved in: gymnastics, ballet, horseback riding, soccer, cheerleading, basketball, cross country, and track.  We loved the competition and team environment!  Once we went off to college, we each continued on our own paths.  Jen rowed for the University of North Carolina, and I continued to run, which I found a love for.  


Additionally, we both received Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarships to attend college, which meant that we would commission into the military upon graduation.  Physical fitness is a huge part of military life, especially the Marine 
Corps, which is where we both ended up!

Although Jen has left the Marine Corps, fitness is a huge part of her life.  She's a relatively new mom and she works hard to set a solid example for her beautiful daughter, Reagan!  I'm still on active duty, and am lucky to be able to workout during working hours quite often.  We both love to run and keep our passion going by signing up for local races and writing this blog, of course!

Recently my mother-in-law, Dorothy, started her own running journey.  She used to be very active and she missed it.  During her recent trip out to visit us in California, we got to go running together and she even went to her first CrossFit class!


As we near the season of resolutions, here are some suggestions for how you can get started on your OWN fitness journey:


1) Establish realistic goals.  Gauge your current fitness level and set some goals that are achievable in a 30-day period.  For example, if you've never run before, set a goal of being able to run one mile straight at the end of the 30-day period.  You can achieve this by combining running and walking until you're comfortable with running the entire mile.


2) Find a group or a friend to workout with.  If you're anything like us, you feed off of the motivation of others.  Having a friend to workout with also helps keep you accountable for scheduled workouts.


3) Get a lot of rest.  Your body is being pushed to new limits and rest is a critical factor.  Treat your body well and strive to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  


4) Drink lots of water.  You have to keep yourself well hydrated and your body LOVES water!  Even when it's cold out, you will sweat during a workout.  Make sure 
you have water on hand while you are working out and throughout the day.

5) Track your progress. Keep a log of your total mileage, time spent running, route, and how you felt during the workout. Include cross-training and strength-training workouts as well. This will give you a way to look back and see how far you've come on your fitness journey. You can use an old notebook, or take it high tech and use on of the many FREE online tools (Runner's World offer's a great one here.)


6) Plan your workouts. This one is key for sticking to your fitness goals. We all have days when we'd rather loaf on the couch and snack on some chips, but if you have a schedule, you will be more likely to stick to it. Even on those days when you don't feel like running, just tell yourself, "I'll go for 10 minutes." Most likely, you'll start and realize you just needed to kick yourself in the butt to get out there and you'll go longer. And if, after 10 minutes, you're still not feeling it, at least you did a little bit to maintain your current fitness level.


7) Get the proper workout gear. Running isn't an expensive sport compared to lots of others out there. That's one of its main draws. However, go ahead and invest in a good pair of running shoes. Take the time to go to a specialty shoe store (Fleet Feet, TrySports, etc) and have someone analyze your stride and recommend the right shoe for you. Purchase a good pair of shorts and a nice sweat-wicking top. We all have old soccer shorts and cotton t-shirts, but when you're running on a regular basis, you'll want the right gear.  

What works for me doesn't have to work for you

Ok, kind of a long title, so I better explain.  In a world where we share everything online in forums, chat rooms, blogs, and websites, there is a TON of advice out there for how to lose weight and get into shape.  Whether you choose from any one of the exercise programs out there...such as

or you choose to come up with your own personal workout plan (which is what I do), the important thing is that it WORKS FOR YOU!  While it would be nice to see the models that advertise these different workout plans and think, "Hey, if I just do this workout, I'll look like her", that is most often not the case!  

      The other important thing is that you find something that you enjoy doing!  If you have a lot more will power than me, good on you!!!  But I know myself and if I'm not having fun doing the workout, then chances of me sticking with it are slim to none.  Although some people love P90X, others cannot stand it and would rather get in the gym and do 3 hours of weight lifting a day!

     So, find something that keeps you motivated, regardless of what works for everyone else, and have fun!

The next thing is what goes INTO your body...some people can get away with eating cookies and chips and never see the numbers on the scale move.  Other people look at a cookie and gain weight!  You know yourself better than anyone else and how your body responds to caloric intake.  While there are literally THOUSANDS of diet gimmicks out there, most don't work.  And if we would just be patient with ourselves, weight loss is achievable.  You need a little less

a LOT more

and a few more

(gotta keep an eye on the fruit intake though, since it contains lots of sugar)

The best piece of advice I think I've heard (mostly from my dear sister, Jen) is to DRINK MORE WATER!!

I think finding a cool water bottle makes it easier for me to drink more water during the day!

Again, whatever you do, it has to work for you.  Listen to other people's advice, but do so with the understanding that we are all different.  You might gain muscle faster than I do, even if we did the exact same workout.  I might be able to sneak in an extra cookie or two, while you can't even be near one!  We are all DIFFERENT!  

Embracing Your Love Handles...

When we were 11 or 12, our mom decided to see how we would fare in the modeling world (well, the modeling world of Winston-Salem, NC which isn't saying much). I clearly remember thinking it was quite possibly the most bogus idea in the history of crazy mom ideas, but without a license or source of income, my hand was forced. We waltzed into the modeling agency thinking, "Well, now that we're stuck, we might as well sieze the challenge.  And who wouldn't want identical twin models?  Doublemint is always hiring, right?!"

That's when it happened.  The moment our body images changed for the worse. We were told, "I think they would be great candidates, but they are kind of hippy."  No, she was not referring to bell-bottoms and peace signs either.

Yup, at the very vulnerable age of 11 or 12, a stranger's comments resulted in 20 years of a semi-negative body image. Now you should know this: we both stand a little over 5' 9" tall and weigh between 140-145.  We are not what you would consider "big" girls. Yet still, we are constantly searching for shirts that cover the "muffin top."

Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT ONE OF US!

It seems that no matter how much we run, how much ab work we do, or how healthy we eat, that spare tire (even a small one) seems to hang out just above our pants.  What the heck?! 

So today I say, screw the body image I've held for all these years.  I'm faster now than I was as an active duty Marine (well, mostly anway).  I enjoy running.  I have a 1-year old daughter.  These love handles are not going anywhere.  I have logged about 30-50 miles a week (and lost almost 20 pounds) since my husband deployed in May and I STILL have a muffin top. And you know what, I may not flaunt it like those teen girls trolling the mall these days, but today, I don't hate it quite as much.

Do you have a defining moment where your body image changed for either the positive or negative?