Just Breath

So many things have been on my mind the past few days in regards to my goals, mindset, and current feelings towards my body and fitness.

I had to come to some "truths" with myself.

I need eat more food because only 2,000 calories a day is not enough for the endurance, mileage, and time I put into my daily workouts.

I've been physically drained the past 2 days after my 12.2 mile run because I didn't eat enough food to reward my body. I ate my usual meals = 2,000 when I burned almost 1,400. Big mistake. 

I need to focus on larger more complete meals. Protein, fat, and a carb per meal.

I need to eat like an athlete if I am going to train like an athlete. 

I need to relax on tracking my macros and just give my body what it wants. If I am craving fish, I am probably low on healthy fats, if I am craving oatmeal, I need to fuel my glycogen levels, etc.

I want to stop weighing myself every stinking morning. It's driving me mad. I am trying to cut back to every other day, or a few times a week.

I need to just breath and trust my body.

So today I start the challenge. Ditch "MyFitnessPal" for a few days, ditch the scale, fuel my body, enjoy my workouts, enjoy my progress, and love myself.

Off to make breakfast #2 before I head out the door for work. I'm thinking eggs & cheese sound divine.

Do you eat intuitively?
Do you track your food?
Do you weigh yourself every day?
How have these habits impacted you?

12.2

Friday: Friday morning I worked out my legs by doing weights and a easy 3 mile bike ride around the neighborhood @ 5:00 am. All day I was having a serious craving for Italian . By the time I got off work I brainstormed this amazing Italian dish in my head and I was off to Trader Joe's to make it happen! I hate grocery shopping when I'm hungry because it's like every delicious thing I see compels me to buy it, then I read the ingredients, get butt hurt, move on to the next item, forgetting my purpose for even going in the store, and I fail at time management. Oh, and waste a few extra dollars on that bag of healthy popcorn I did not need. Sigh.

Italian sausage bowl:
1-2 c broccoli
1-2 servings broccoli slaw
1 c portebella mushrooms
1 c fresh spinach
1 basil chicken sausage (Trader Joe's)
1 tbsp asiago parmesan
Fresh basil
Marinara of choice (I choose no salt organic marinara from Trader Joe's and add in my own spices for extra flavor)

Bake the broccoli, broccoli slaw, sausage link, and mushrooms in the oven @ 400 for 15-20 minutes. Dust with garlic, onion, red chili flakes, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Fill a large bowl with baked veggies, *fresh spinach, chopped sausage, marinara, chopped basil leaves, and a sprinkle of asiago. Magnifico! You feel like your eating a huge bowl of pasta but your getting tons of veggies, protein, healthy fats and the fresh basil really makes this dish perfection.

If your going with a  plain marinara to skip all the added salts & preservatives just add in garlic, onion, basil, oregano, Italian seasonings, and black pepper!
You won't miss that extra 400+mg of sodium. Trust me.

Saturday: I slept in until 7 on Saturday and got my teeth cleaned with a friendly reminder about my root canal next month (sigh). Afterwards I headed to the local park for my daily run, squeaked out an easy 5 miles and called it quits once the temperatures hit 90. Post run I did my weekly grocery haul at Sprouts, treated myself to a kombucha in the flavor hibiscus, and spent the rest of the day with my big brother catching up. I love that guy, sweetest man on earth!

My body was craving fat's hardcore this weekend. Like my brain would not let me walk out of the store without a bag of edamame, I swear. I whipped up fried eggs on cinnamon toast with edamame, corn, mushroom, and sauteed bell pepper's!

Sunday: Saturday night I went to bed knowing I wanted to wake up early for my long distance run. I planned on 6:00 am but luckily my body naturally woke up at 5:30 am. I ran to the kitchen, dumped a tray of ice in my camel back, filled it up, got dressed, and downed 1/2 banana mixed with chia seeds so I could get out the door ASAP. Normally I wouldn't rush, but AZ heat is nothing to play around with in the summer. Time is precious and the distance I wanted to cover would put me outside for at least 2 hours. Anything over 85 degrees count me out. Just sayin'

I planned on at least 8 miles, realized how stinkin' good I felt, was motivated by the 30+ bicyclists I saw, and I decided to go for 10 miles. At  9 miles I thought "3 more miles will be cake". At 11.2 miles I knew I was doing 12.2, and at 12.2 I felt on top of the world!  I decided to save my official 13.1 miles for the big day when I run my first half marathon. The good thing is I know I will be able to run the half marathon, easy. I over came a mental block of being scared of anything more than 8 miles. I had runners high all day, went out to breakfast, and did yoga by the pool before passing out on my mat for unplanned nap. My body was screaming for rest, so I did.

Frozen yogurt:
1/2 c low fat cottage cheese (Daisy)
1/2 c 0% Fage plain greek yogurt
English toffee stevia (or any sweetener of choice)
1/2 frozen banana (or 1/2 c frozen fruit of choice)
1/4 c unsweented flax milk
1 tbsp vegan carob chips

4-5 hours before your ready to make your "froyo" make sure you pop the cottage cheese and greek yogurt in the freezer. I usually measure 1/2 c of each, dump them in the same bowl, and freeze. When your ready dump the frozen dairy in the food processor (or blender), with your frozen fruit, sweetener, slowly add in the flax milk to make sure it doesn't get too runny, and pulse until you start to break everything up. Once you see a smooth churn let the food processor fully smooth out everything, continue to add flax milk if need be. I usually pour my frozen yogurt into a homemade "waffle bowl" that you can make by baking 1/2 whole wheat lavash wrap in a oven safe bowl. I dust the inside with cinnamon and then pour my frozen yogurt inside. You can add cinnamon on top for an extra kick, sprinkle carob chips (healthy chocolate chips), and a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup or chocolate sauce (Walden Farms).

I have been making this every night for my last meal. It's a great balance of proteins and fiber which help build your muscles over night and will satisfy you with minimal calories or carbohydrates before bed. Sometimes I toss a handful of Skinny Pop for a contrast of sweet & savory. Strange but good, don't knock it until ya try it. You wouldn't turn down chocolate covered pretzels would you? Same concept!

I also was able to catch up with my best friend at Barnes & Noble for a little bit over coffee and trashy gossip magazines, in the kids section.
No Shame. 

 Love you Nikki!
♥

I ended my weekend with another frozen yogurt sundae (banana) topped with copious amounts of sugar free syrup, buttery popcorn, and chocolate.

Have you ever made your own frozen yogurt?

What's your favorite way to make it? 

What are your favorite ingredients/ recipes?

4 is Standard

Never in my life would I have imagined 4 miles would be my "standard" for running. I no longer go for just 2-3 miles for my daily run. 4 is the new standard and going strong for a few weeks now. 

Mind = blown

So over the past month I've gradually put on 3 lbs. I've slowly crept from 142.8 to 145.8. As a perfectionist of my healthy lifestyle I've freakishly wasted time thinking of possible reasons considering my activity levels and clean eating leave little to no room for weight gain:

1. Lean muscle from increased running mileage 

2. Water retention from increased use of Bragg's liquid aminos, cottage cheese, etc.

3. Irregularity from increased protein intake (about 160g daily) 

4. Introduction of new foods: butternut squash, goats cheese, lavash bread

5. Increased used of Torani sugar free syrups
(these rock my world, I refuse to part ways. End of story)

6. This is where I go brain dead, get frustrated, and skip weighing myself and logging my food the past few days because I'm mentally drained.

Moving on from my mid-week venting sesh, I decided it was time for some progress shots over the past 4 months! I always get excited to scroll through my photo album to see how far I've come (especially when I get hung up on a few silly pounds). The progress from 4 months ago is apparent, however, the past month I feel like I haven't made many lean gains. Oh well. My core is hard as a rock and I am assuming it's due to my abnormal weight increase.

So what's a girl to do when her perfect meal plans and vigorous workouts leave her high and dry? Say "fudge" it, go buy Skinny Pop, and make a strange but DELISH sweet & salty bowl of my favorite things. Oh, and rebel against the scale for the next few days and skip MyFitnessPal. Because I'm just over it. For now.

Strange but good:

1 cup 0% fat total Fage plain greek yogurt

sweeten with english toffee stevia

chop 1/2 cup fresh strawberries

1 tbsp vegan carob chocolate chips

1-2 cups Skinny Pop pocorn

1 tbsp sugar free chocolate syrup drizzled

*Add some cinnamon if your feeling extra fiesty

This morning I ran my standard 4 miles at a 9:09 pace, sprinted 1/2 mile uphill with high knees, and walked .33 miles through my neighborhood to cool down before I got back to the house. Loving my 5:00 am workouts. It's amazing to see how many other crazy runners wake up before dawn to run the earth in silence, overcoming fears, conquering challenges, and racking up miles. It's glorious.

I love my sport.

So I've casually noticed whenever I eat my body goes HULK mode on me and I get super vascular. At first I thought it was cool and felt like a total meat head. Now I'm kinda grossed out. I look like those vainy body builders. So if I am dressed up at dinner and take a bite of food I'm slowly going to start turning into a mini-chocolate HULK in my dress and heels?! Not cute. 

But hey, at least I'm healthy, so I'll stop complaining. 

In like, 10 minutes. 

WIAW: 4

It's that time of the week again! Half way through a chaotic week means a lot of repetitive eats, but just as tasty each time!

Welcome to WIAW

Hosted by one of my favorite bloggers Peas and Crayons! 

♥

I am kinda sorta obsessed with protein shake bowls. I crave them daily, especially after a hot workout outdoors. It's heavenly.

I've shamefully ditched the oat's all this week because post run @ 5:00 am leaves me ravenous and I want copious amounts of carbs and "sugar". Protein pancakes hit the spot every time.

I've stayed faithful to my glass of warm lemon water every morning while I cook my breakfast to jump start my digestive system. It also helps me feel fuller without over doing it on the extra licks of peanut butter I tend to indulge in, religiously.
Don't act like you don't do it!

I've seriously cut back on meal prep time by adding finger food veggies to my lunch box and tossing a container of hummus to leave in the refrigerator at work. Pat on my back for a brilliant time saving and tasty idea!
Trader Joe's eggplant hummus = heaven.
No lie.

Yesterday I took a major step out of my comfort zone as far as "treat meals" or any sort of food outside of my food schedule. I was having a bit of an emotional day so my lovely aunt treated me to sushi during our lunch break. Normally I would have said "no thanks" but screw that.

 I ate both rolls, and some of hers.

Oh, and I didn't go home and freakishly workout to "burn it off". I took a rest day. 

I feel great about myself for taking a chill pill and enjoying some damn sushi!

Amen to that. 

I have been enjoying my chocolate pizza nightly with my typical breakfast for dinner for the past 3 weeks. I've seriously got to get a new combo going for the sake of my blog, ha. But who can beat an inexpensive, delicious, and perfectly balanced meal of protein, healthy fats, and carbs?
Let's be real. 
This dinner plan is staying.

What did you eat this Wednesday?

Do you have any staple meals that you just can't ditch?

Weekend Recap

Friday: Happy 2 year anniversary to my honey! My first boyfriend and holding strong (I love you sweets). Okay, enough of the mushy talk! To celebrate our anniversary we kinda went impromptu this year. Last year we had an entire day planned, this year we played it by ear and made plans an hour leading up to seeing each other. Who does that?! Us.

I knew the day was going to be tight once I got off work so I started back to my 5:00 am workouts Friday morning, clever eh? So I didn't have to worry about a night workout, getting ready, and being sweaty on a romantic evening. We decided our body's were in much need of TLC so I booked us a couples massage on my drive in from work. We went to the same place we went last year on our 1 year anniversary (making a tradition? I'd say so!). Before the massage I realized I was starving but didn't want to ruin my appetite for dinner, so I made a chocolate peanut butter protein shake bowl. Yes, shake bowl. With an extra large spoon for good measure. Don't knock it til' ya try it!

Chocolate peanut butter protein shake:

1 scoop About Time chocolate peanut butter whey

1/2 c unsweetened original flax milk

1 tsp xhanthan gum

1 tbsp powdered stevia

1 try ice cubes (yes, an entire tray, this girl likes big portions!)

3 tbsp Walden Farms sugar free chocolate syrup

1 c water

Blend, pour in a deep bowl, eat with a spoon like soup, feel full in seconds, BAM!

After the massage we looked at each other and realized our stomachs wouldn't wait for a home made meal which I had planned. Homemade Italian was out the window and I recommended the Flame Broiler for a healthy, char-broiled, delicious quick and care-free fix! After playing with chopsticks and sitting outside while enjoying our meals I wanted more "us" time in the city. We drove over to the local lake which is ginormous and went for a night walk to just talk about life and our memories over the years. Whoa...plural...cray!

Thank you for the gorgeous roses and baby's breath honey, they are going strong on my vanity and I gave them fresh water last night!

 Saturday: I wanted to spend some time with my big brother Saturday morning before the day got chaotic. I woke up, made a hearty bowl of protein oatmeal, and headed off to run my weekly grocery store restock all by 10 am. I pulled back in at 9:56, winning!

I snagged my weekend treat kombucha in the flavor bilberry, so tasty. I wanted to let it chill during my run so I had something to look forward to post workout. We hit the track for 50 minutes in 90 degree heat. I thought I was smart going by 10 am, I was wrong, so wrong. I ran 3 miles at a quick pace, 8 sets of 100 m, 20 minutes INSANITY warm up, 15 minutes abs on my BOSU, burned 700 calories, sweated A LOT, and had a great stretch to meditation music. Glorious.

I showered up, fueled up with my second breakfast of the day, and headed over to my friends graduation party with my boyfriend. We had delicious food, talked by the pool, and just relaxed, it was lovely. She mentioned she was having protein pancakes for dinner which totally inspired me to go home and whip myself up a batch.

Sunday: I got kinda got obsessed with drinking my water from a life size mason jar this weekend, just sayin'. I woke up bright and early Sunday morning to spend some time with my mother before her day started with her mother. We opened gifts, talked, and I told her how much she meant to me. It was kinda cute, love you mom! Sunday is my long distance run day so I ate half a banana and headed out the door with a foggy plan as far as how many miles I wanted to put in. I knew the route I started on would guarantee 5 miles, but I pushed 7 1/2! I was proud, on fiy-ah, and dehydrated out of my mind. When I got home I whipped up another batch of protein pancakes, inhaled about 2 liters of water, showered, and got in bed to heat/ice my right calf. I over strained a muscle in it (again) and it's seriously hurting me today.

Eventually I got around Sunday food prep which took me 1 hour, perfect timing to listen to New Spring church podcast! Polished off my kombucha, read Oxygen magazine, weekly laundry, facial, stretching, cleaned the kitchen, bedroom, and just had a super productive Sunday. I've learned that instead of trying to make everyone happy sometimes I just need a day or two to myself. My friends understand how busy I am, so I don't feel so guilty not making plans when I do have some spare time for myself. It was glorious.

I even managed to watch Fast 5, and Kill Bill 1 while doing things around the house. I forgot how much I enjoy flicks! I whipped myself up a lean turkey burger stuffed with light mozzarella on a bed of fresh spinach, paired with sauteed green beans, and fresh avocado for the win!

Monday: This morning I had my weekly arm day planned @ 5:00 am with a side of brisk cardio. I had another hearty helping of protein pancakes post workout, followed by a wrap 2 hours later before heading out the door for work!

Monday morning 5:00 am workout:

Abs:
In & out abs 3x12
V-ups 3x12
Oblique side to sides 3x12

Arm-circuit:
Bicep curls 3x12
Rear delts 3x12
Tricep dips 3x25
Push ups 3x12
21's 3x12
Tricep hangs 3x12
7's 3x7
Clean to press 3x12 (each side)
Shoulder press 3x12
Daggers 3x12
3D's 3x12

Cardio:
1 mile run 9:23 min pace

Sprout wrap:
1/2 whole wheat lavash wrap
70 g avocado
1 laughing cow light swiss wedge
Red chili flakes
(Mash all of these together on the wrap)
2 fried egg whites
1/2 c broccoli sprouts
red chili flakes
*Roll up and enjoy! 

What did you do this weekend? 

How did you spend Mothers Day?

Do you take advantage of longer workouts on the weekends or prefer doing something else?