Advocare Cleanse Day 7

Today started bright and early at 5:30 waking up for a 5K with my mom and sister. I was determined to beat my PR of 29:53, so I took down a spark and got all ready. Don't we look fierce?

Wanna guess my time?

29:53.

Yeah, go ahead and try to repeat your PR twice. I dare you.

Oh well, I'm disappointed but I will do another race in September and go after it again. My knee hurt pretty bad (I have some super sweet early arthritis) and I got a side ache about mile 2 which caused a short walk. Next time!

My dad decided to pity my lack of really good running shoes and bought me a little slice of heaven.

Brand new Saucony Hurricane 15's. I am so pumped to use them that when I got home I made Alex take a walk with me on the trail near our house. Seriously how beautiful is it though? 

Pure serenity.

For dinner we made turkey burgers and sweet potato fries. 

The turkey burgers I used:

1 lb Jennie O Ground Turkey

Grated red onion

2 cloves minced garlic

Chopped cilantro to taste

Mrs. Dash Chipolte seasoning

Mix it all together with your hands except the Mrs. Dash. Divide them into 4 even burgers and season with Mrs. Dash. We grilled inside in the cast iron skillet.

For the fries, cut up one sweet potato into fries, toss with olive oil and garlic powder. Bake at 425 for 8 minutes, rotate pan and turn fries, and cook for 8 more minutes. 

We used a lettuce leaf as a bun and topped with tomato and sliced red onion. Delish.

This cleanse is really growing on me. Back to fiber drink tomorrow though :/

Advocare Cleanse Day 6

Started out my day with a RIPPED class at the gym. The instructor was someone I had never had before and it was a chaotic jumble. My workouts are one of the few times I get in my zone and focus, and if I can't do that..it makes me grumpy. But I sucked it up and survived. 

I headed back to my hometown today to prepare for a 5K tomorrow in Cedar Falls. It was the first day I had to go out to eat on the cleanse and man, it was rough. I also survived this: 

I had to bake cookies for my grandma in the nursing home because I make them better than anyone else. No lie, she tells all her friends. I am like the Betty Crocker of the nursing home and I wear that title proudly. 

My sister and I went to Panera for lunch. I got the Fuji apple chicken salad sans cheese and pecans with an apple. I only wanted to tackle her for her baguette a little bit. For dinner we went to Texas Roadhouse. God help my soul on those rolls. I have no clue how I found the strength to avoid them, but I did. I ordered grilled BBQ chicken breast with a side salad (no cheese) and a baked sweet potato. My one cave was a teensy bit of the cinnamon butter I put on my potato. But other than that...success. Man, it's hard to watch everyone eat bread without me. I never thought I would be craving bread and cottage cheese. No ice cream, cookies, candy....just a flippin sandwich. But I still feel great! 

I helped dad make some home made pork tenderloins tonight. It looked more like a murder scene, but it was a good time.

I will gladly eat those...soon. Off to bed for an early race wakeup tomorrow!

Advocare Cleanse Day 5

Today was my rest day from workouts, well deserved as I am wiped out from Bootcamp this week.

Day 5 of the cleanse feels pretty good. I have discovered I love apples and peanut butter. If I can't have ice cream, it will do for now. For lunch I used the leftover fajita meat from last night with some salsa for a delicious salad.

It was really good. I used the rest for dinner and had lettuce wrap fajitas again. For breakfast I had egg whites and 1/2 grapefruit. I'm getting more used to lack of carbs and dairy, and I just feel awesome. I hope I can keep up a lot of these eating habits post cleanse. I haven't checked progress, but I feel like my waist has shrunk. Pants fit better, I feel better. Onward to day 6!

Advocare Cleanse Day 4

Today we went to the 5am Bootcamp class because we had plans tonight. That whole Spark before workout thing REALLY helped me at 4:45 am. I don't want to remember what my life was like before meeting Spark. I don't even sell this stuff, I just love it. 

Enough with that love affair. This was the end of rugby week. We played some sort of no contact rugby, ran a lot of drills, but it was actually a lot of fun. 

For breakfast I had a smoothie like day 2 and some egg whites scrambled. Lunch was a salad with salmon to switch it up, much appreciated. At least my snacks can vary from rice cakes and natural peanut butter, fruits, almonds, and veggies. That has helped keep me sane during the day. For dinner I modified a recipe from the Advocare cookbook for crockpot fajitas.

1 green bell pepper

1 colored bell pepper

1 small onion

1 Jalepeno

1/4 C cilantro

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large tomato, chopped 

14 oz boneless skinless chicken breast

Chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste

Chop all veggies (I just cut peppers and onion into strips) and set aside. Trim chicken if necessary. Put chicken in the bottom of a crockpot. Season with seasonings (I used a lot, but we like things a bit spicy. I also added some red pepper flake). Dump in all veggies on top of chicken and turn crockpot on high. Mine took about 3 hours on high then I turned it on low for another 1.5 hours. Shred the chicken (mine shredded just by stirring it) and viola! You get this:

I even dumped some on my brown rice. It made 4 servings (one serving in the picture) for 123 calories and 22 grams of protein. Delicious. 

So our plans tonight? My little sister in law put her dog into the pet parade for the town Summerfest. She won "best look alike". Adorable.

I personally couldn't stop staring at these two. But I have an unnatural love for rabbits.

And a close up just to make you go "Awwwwwww!"

Advocare Cleanse Day 3

Today was the last morning of the fiber shake until day 8, not mad about that. For breakfast I had 1/2 grapefruit and 1/2 cup egg whites. Lunch was a salad with chicken and baby carrots, and dinner was this awesome feast:

I try not to toot my own horn, but this was delicious. I made some 4 oz wild salmon filets from Aldis and seasoned them with some Mrs. Dash Chipolte seasoning. Grill those babies in the cast iron on medium for 4 minutes each side.

So good. The sweet potato I cut into 1/4 inch rounds and tossed in olive oil and cayenne pepper. Then cook for 10 minutes at 350, flip and cook 10 more minutes. Turn the oven up to 425 and prep the veggies. I took some baby Bella mushrooms, sliced them up, and tossed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic. Throw them in with the potatoes for 6 minutes. Turn the potatoes again, then throw on the asparagus, tossed in the same mix, on the mushrooms. Finish off for 6 more minutes. And that's all she wrote. Delicious and cleanse approved. 

Tonight's workout went MUCH better thanks to this stuff: 

I didn't think I would need it since I did not drink pop prior to the cleanse, but the lack of carbs really does drain your energy a bit. This helped me work hard and stay strong through a heavy running Bootcamp tonight. I cannot suggest this stuff enough, it will make your workouts more productive and make you feel so much better after.

Early AM workout tomorrow then off to the pet parade to see the little sister in law walk her adorable dog. Adorable pictures to follow.

Cleanse Day 2

So today was day 2 of the Advocare cleanse. Same fiber drink and pills as yesterday, still doesn't taste good. No surprise there. For breakfast I made 1/2 cup egg whites and a smoothie. I used 1/2 serving frozen mango, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, and ice. Mix it all up in the Magic Bullet, and you have a delicious breakfast. 

For lunch I made another salad with grilled chicken, pico, and salsa. Not too shabby, but I will be over salads by day 10 I am sure. Dinner was leftovers from last night, I wasn't mad. 

Overall I feel tired and drained. I hear that day 4 is really the turning point, so I'm looking forward to that.

Our trainer had a box of Spark (Advocare's no sugar version of an energy drink) so I bought that tonight. It is suggested to be paired with the cleanse, but since I didn't drink soda before, I didn't think I would need it. Turns out I do. I was lagging at my workouts, so hopefully this helps.

This week has been rugby week at boot camp, and it is no joke. A lot of timed, long, drills. A lot of running. It hurts. 

I have no food pictures today as my food was boring leftovers. Onward. With Spark.

Advocare Cleanse Day 1

Today was the start of our 10 day cleanse from Advocare. It is the first 10 days of their 24 day challenge that seems to be the way most people have heard of the product. We decided to do it to rejuvenate and try to lose a couple stubborn pounds. Basic premise is: lots of fruit and veggies, protein, complex carbs. No dairy, bad carbs, coffee, soda, or alcohol. Sounds easy enough right?

You start day 1 with a wonderfully chunky fiber drink. Listen to me when I tell you this one. Mix that baby with 8 oz of Trop50 OJ, shake it up fast in a shaker bottle, open the throat and down it fast. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. This is the way to get it down only tasting like pulpy orange juice. You let that stuff sit and it looks like jello. No thanks. 

For breakfast we had a half grapefruit with 1/2 cup egg whites. 3 hours later I had a Granny Smith apple. For lunch I had a salad with grilled chicken and all natural salad dressing with some baby carrots. 3 hours later I had a rice cake with all natural peanut butter. Then for dinner we made this:

Turkey taco lettuce wraps with home made pico, salsa, roasted asparagus, and steamed brown rice. It was delicious. Later I will have 1 cup of grapes and the cleanse pills before bed. So really it's a lot of food for a cleanse, just have to make sure to avoid the high processed foods. I only went into the middle aisles of the grocery store for salsa and dressing. That was an eye opener! I felt a little tired today, and the fiber drink is quite unpleasant. Other than that, I took my weight and measurements this morning so I'm excited to see where it goes.

And drink a summer shandy in 9 days.

Weekend of Food and Fun. Mostly Food.

So we are finally on our way back from Chicago. I realize the title of this blog includes the word "healthy" so you will have to excuse my food porn from this weekend. Seriously, there is nothing as good as Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder by the Lincoln Park zoo. The Mediterranean bread and their pot pie pizzas are enough to make me give up any other food group or run 10 miles to burn it off. This was our friends' first time there so they also feel the same. We all will dream about it for days. 

We tore that bread up.

That is what they look like before and after they put it on your plate. 

Since it WAS only lunch, Alex and I shared. It lasted about 3 minutes on my plate.

We went to the FREE Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier, and out for some cocktails as well. 

We are on team awesome. 

Flamingos are pink, therefore awesome.

We stopped for a drink on Navy Pier as it was beautiful out.

Alex is man enough to have fruit garnish on his drink.

Our friends took us to Cozy Noodle for dinner, and it was the quirkiest little place. It has awesome Thai food and we had these amazing shrimp rolls.

Here are some pictures of the decor. The Pez bathroom was my favorite. And the King approves of equality.

On the way back to the hotel we noticed they had made the buildings glow red as the Blackhawks won game 5 last night.

Now we are almost home and starting day 1 of the Advocare cleanse tomorrow. So no more pizza, popcorn, or ice cream pictures. More like fruit, vegetables, and salad. I keep telling myself it will taste the same...right?

Chicago Day 1

We left for Chicago yesterday with some good friends from our gym. Good thing= they might stop me from eating the whole city. Bad thing=they introduced me to the best popcorn in the world.

Honestly I would tackle someone for a bag of this stuff. It's that good. You're welcome.

We walked all around downtown, checked out Millenium Park, and met up with a friend for some drinks. Dinner was super healthy and low calorie.

But don't worry. We didn't eat much. 

Good thing our friends' body bugs said we walked over 6 miles. That burned it off. Or at least convinced me that I don't care about my healthy diet for a weekend, which in all honesty can be hard to do. My favorite reminder is: one bad meal isn't going to make you fat, just like one healthy one won't make you skinny. I know I can splurge on vacation and go back to my healthy lifestyle on Monday, so I let it go, eat the pizza/popcorn/everything in sight and enjoy it. Life is short. Eat good food. 

Here are some pics from around the city.

That is not my thumb in there. I was not using one hand due to that popcorn. 

Lions, Tigers, and Chickens?

Last night was the ending of soccer week at Bootcamp. Considering my legs are sore and feel like jello today, I'd say it was successful. 2 weeks down, 6 to go. Bring it on swimsuit season.

After our workout we went to my MIL's house to visit her and my sister in law. She is 11 and currently wrangling/babysitting their neighbors animals. They do live in town, but it's not your average household pet situation. 

9 chickens, 1 rooster, and 3 ducks later we had hit the motherload of awesome.

To say Alex loves chickens would be the understatement of the century. This man looks at pictures of chickens daily and dreams of our very own chicken fortress in our backyard. If you can tell he was pumped.

We played for a while, collected their eggs, and chased them through the yard. It was nothing short of amazing. 

Guaranteed my night was better than yours. 

We went back to my MIL's and had some vegetarian chick'n patties. Who can eat real meat after seeing this guy? 

Not I. 

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink

Bootcamp tonight consisted of some jumping, running, skipping, nosediving. You know, the usual soccer drills. Either way I left sweaty and tired, so I expect I lost 5 pounds. I also may have talked my friend Angie into the Des Moines half marathon in October. I would do it... With a friend. Maybe.

Tonight I made a shrimp penne rosa recipe modified from this pin on Pinterest. Most of my recipes are modified for 2 people, but I don't believe in small portion sizes so you can modify from there. I also almost always weigh my ingredients instead of measuring with cups as I find it is truly the most accurate.

Penne Rosa with Shrimp

6 oz Smart Taste Penne pasta

170 g medium shrimp, thawed and tails removed

1/2 T olive oil

Red pepper flake

2 cloves minced garlic

170 g baby Bella mushrooms

2 small Roma tomatoes 

1/2 C Prego heart smart Red pepper sauce

75g Oikos plain Greek yogurt

2 C baby spinach 

First, boil water and cook penne to desired texture. While cutting veggies up, heat the oil in a deep skillet on medium. When hot, add the garlic and red pepper flake. After about 2 minutes, add mushrooms and tomatoes. I like to cut my tomatoes in pretty big chunks, just to keep them together more. Cool for 5 minutes, until mushrooms release all their water. Then turn it up to medium/hot and add shrimp. Mmm.

Cook until shrimp is heated, about 3 minutes ( I use pre cooked). Then remove from heat and add spinach. Cover and let wilt for 2 minutes.

While that's going, drain pasta. After 2 minutes put back on low heat and stir in pasta, yogurt, and pasta sauce. 

Proceed to devour.

For 2 servings it is 451 calories and 35g of protein. And worth it. It took Alex and I about 3 minutes to take care of this pan.

Just Call Me the Grillmaster

So it took 3 solid days of our grilling asparagus to come up with the perfect combo:

First, wash and clean asparagus and put onto a plate. Then drizzle on some chili oil (found at your local friendly Asian grocery store). Toss in the oil, then sprinkle with garlic salt. Toss again, then sprinkle one more time for good measure. Put on the grill for 3-4 minutes, rotate, then for 3-4 more minutes. Then you get this amazing side: 

Paired with my turkey dog, I could marry this meal. I have committed to it for 3 days, which is 2 days longer than Britney's first marriage. 

Last night I decided to give myself my own mani. I'm too poor for the super talented Asian ladies in Altoona I so love. But I didn't do too bad. 

That's after a whole day of typing today. Yeah, I'm that good.

This week is "soccer" week at Bootcamp. Basically about one million agility drills and running. Good workouts, but leaves me with some sore legs. I also signed up for one more 5K this summer. 28 minutes, you are mine. That means I should start running again. Dam to Dam just made me need a breather. 4 solid months of training will do that to a girl. 

I also creeped on some SE Polk rugby players for my sister. You're welcome.

Father's Day and Family Time

This weekend was pretty busy, but all full of super important things. Like napping, eating, family, and more eating.

Friday night was my first book club meeting. It went pretty well, and I'm glad that everyone else agrees she sounds innocent. Weird but innocent. This book was really an eye opener, and once again, never visiting Italy. I have already finished next month's book, so let's hope I have a good memory.

Saturday morning Alex and I went to RIPPED class at our gym. It was a ridiculously hot, sweaty, and hard circuit class that made me want to die a little bit.  Then we headed back to Parkersburg for some Father's Day action with my family. Which usually consists of food, games, and more food. Alex whooped us all at this game:

But it is super fun, and a lot like that addicting app that everyone played last fall.

Sunday morning dad and I were up a few minutes hours before everyone else, so we took a walk around town and up to grab coffee and the paper. Sometimes I forget just how "open" some areas of town still are, even after 5 years. 

After a light lunch, mom decided we should go asparagus hunting. I haven't been since I was a child, so it was a really good time. Alex had his first experience as well, so it was exciting. My red headed self clearly sunburned, but it was worth it. We managed to score quite the haul. 

Then we headed home and made some turkey dogs and grilled asparagus for dinner. Just toss it with olive oil and salt, and grill on each side for 4 minutes. Then it looks delicious like this:

Mmm. Now I'm eating exclusively asparagus for the week and I'm not mad.