HOT HOT HOT

Whew!

Just walking outside today for an hour after work and I was drenched. Thank goodness I cut off a foot of my hair before summer. I can't imagine lugging around that heap of hair today.

I stopped in at The Pourhouse Cafe for an ICED coffee.

Ice goodness, a high point today

SPAGHETTI SQUASH (the most amusing of the squashes)

Cut in half, placed down on plate, covered with plastic (leave a little space as steam vent), microwave 15-17 minutes depending on size.








Take fork, scrap the innards!

Made a sauce ------>
  saute onions, throw in tomato puree, add    red bell pepper. Season with sugar, salt.

Served up! 

Off to the gym! I'll have a post on what I did later tonight :) Until then!

In transition

First off, I know this post is late. I've been busy figuring out my schedule. I'll be more diligent as I get into the swing of this post/day thing. Now onto the crucial points of this post:

It's hard to weigh expectations against reality. I feel wonderful after a good workout but that doesn't mean I'm going to wake up the next morning at the weight I've always wanted to be or suddenly be able to run a 5K without stopping.

Even though our minds are "there" our bodies need time. Given the instant gratification our culture has become expectant of...it's hard. That's when a goal-system can become instrumental to true success. Don't set yourself up for failure by expecting too much. So, I won't expect to lose 20 lbs in a week and my body will thank me by slowly but surely shedding me of that excess weight.

You've just got to put in the time.

And I did today:

20 minutes elliptical

7 minutes stairs (whew, those are hard)

1 mile run

ARMs DAY

2x10 17.5 lb rows/arm

2x10 dips

2x10 30 lb overhead pushups

2x10 45 lb chest press

Also, made this beauty:

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of chickpeas

1 bag of baby carrots, halved

2 stalks of celery, sliced

2 bundles of organic, fresh from the farm kale (I volunteer at one for free produce :p)

1 onion

basil olive oil (my mom picked up at a store that specializes in the stuff, spectacular)

2 cups-3 cups vegetable broth (I didn't measure)

Salt/pepper to taste

saute onion until translucent. Add stock. Throw in all the veggies and the beans. Let cook for around 20-30 minutes. EASY, right? And it was delicious.

I don't have many pics from the rest of the day but it consisted of: soup (see above), coffee, vegan burgers, oatmeal with butternut squash/maple syrup, lots of fresh fruit, and more.

Again, still getting the hang of taking pictures, etc. Until tomorrow!

Sunday Snippets

It can be hard when the motivation isn't there. I think that's the true divide between someone like myself, who will exercise everyday for a week hardcore and then not see the inside of a gym for a month, and someone truly fit. I'm learning that regardless of the occasion just working up a sweat can be rewarding. Not only physically!

So, this morning I woke up and post-coffee had my pre-workout snack

Cinnamon Cherrios x 2

Apple slices with a smear of laughing cow (times like 10)

At the gym I did 20 moderately-intense minutes on the elliptical.
Followed with 10 minutes of stairmaster. I seriously love doing stairs but can only usuallymanage 10-20 minutes.
Finished with a 1.5 mile jog/run and stretching.




I came home and put this into the oven ;)

Just a bit of butter (or oil) and cinnamon. 350 degrees for 40 minutes (varies on size).

FORK TENDER :P

Has a delicious texture similar to sweet potato
LOVE BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Served with maple syrup and a splash of almond milk. *DROOL*

Lunch was a boca vegan pattie topped with cottage cheese. A side of veggies.
Also, while the butternut squash cooked I roasted some organic easter radishes:

They lose that bitter taste when you roast them. Perfect for salads or eat straight up.

It's a beautiful day. I'm glad I got out to enjoy it.

Going to make some coffee. Until later.

Waking up early *YAWWWWN*

I've developed a bad habit...waking up later (like 12-1 pm late). EEK! I blame my lazy behind and that fact that none of my summer obligations require me to be up before noon. I even drew this picture to capture my summer accomplishments:

I'll probably share more art on this blog, I paint more than I draw.

That said, rising early is one of those things that I know will help with losing weight. Also, going to bed earlier. Why? you ask. Because I'm a nighttime muncher. I get most of my cravings in the listless hours after the sun sneaks away. If I can retrain my body to sleep before 10 and wakeup before 7 I know I'll be golden with getting rid of these munchies.

So, to aid in this...

COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE

I'm going to walk to the gym and workout! More on that later this afternoon with some of my eats. Until then. 

A recipe, some thoughts, and a plan of action

Hello, trying to figure out the best way to organize my posts. I figure just start posting and if I decide to revise the format of these posts later, so be it!

So, I made ratatouille this weekend:

4 zucchinis 
1 large eggplant
2 onions (I love onions)
3 cloves garlic
1 28 oz can of tomato + some spare from one already open
olive oil


Slice all the zucchini

Peel the eggplant, cube

Chop the onion and garlic, cook on medium-high with olive oil until soft and brown. Add tomato.

Throw in eggplant, zuch

Let that cook on medium for 20-30 minutes. Serve over pasta :)

Most of today's eats were not captured (I'll work on having my phone camera on me at all times). Here are some random things that I had:

Laughing cow wedge, carrots, cucumber. Coffee (of course, you will realize this is a constant in my life)

Some cinnamon cheerios that I got cheap on closeout, truly delicious but not worth the $4.95/box they typically are priced at.

For dinner I had a vegan Boca burger with:

As for my plan for health/fitness I've come up with some general rules:

Food-wise

• No eating after 10 pm (being a college student, the late night eating has sadly become a terrible habit of mine). 
• No more artificial sweeteners. I've been off diet coke for about a month now and looking back I can't believe how much of it I used to be able to consume. I've noticed without it my cravings have decreased significantly! Also, going to invest in some natural sweeteners (e.g. stevia in the raw, truvia)
• No more than 2 snacks/day. I'm a major grazer. 
• Record what I eat via this blog...holding myself accountable ;)

Fitness-wise

• Exercise 5-6/week (this will be a challenge as usually I can manage 4 times...I lack major motivation) BUT! I really want to be fit and this is the only way :) 
• Starting bootcamp in 1-2 weeks once I get back home (currently on my college campus)
• MOVE 

It's time for me to care about my health long-term. I've been on the yo-yo ride many a time, I've had true issues with food which...I may take the time to share on this blog, and I'm beyond exhausted with what I keep doing. No more self-sabotage. I get to be happy, and fit, and not give a damn if someone thinks I care way to much about these things. They matter to me and I don't have to apologize for that. I leave you all, if there's even a solitary soul consuming these words, with a song that has brought me much peace throughout my life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glq_vb0A-yg

Until tomorrow :)

CH-CH-CH CHANGES...are hard

I'm not an exceptional person in a lot of ways. I give up too easily the second adversity gets in my way. I've read a lot of the other health blogs out in the blogosphere and been amazed at the things other people are doing/transformations (not only in body but in health!). I figure...

                                                    IT'S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE

That's what I'm hoping this blog will be. My hope is update daily with my food, fitness, and if I'm ambitious cooking/baking adventures. I hope you find it interesting :)

Here are some exciting things coming up in my new world perspective:

• Starting my strict vegetarian/loose vegan diet (more on this later)
• Going to be reviewing some raw vegan protein powders (Sunwarrior and Garden of Life)
• Going to be reviewing PB2
• BOOTCAMP (in a few weeks)

So, stay tuned!