Awesome Weekend and Strides Against Strokes!

   
           Memorial Weekend was amazing!  My brother flew in town from Washington DC.  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for a good old family cookout.  All of my extended family came together a for it.  My grandma passed away last Spring.  Since then, it has been difficult  to that side of the family together at all.  I think this was the first time everyone was together.  We all came down to the house she lived in on the lake.  We told fun memories of her and each drank some bud light in a mug with a dash of salt.  My grandma loved beer out of a mug with salt.  We toasted and drank it in her memory.

         

I had to include this awesome pic of my brother and Devin throwing my sister as she does a back  tuck out of the lake.  Brianna is quite the cheerleader/gymnast.  I was super excited to catch this awesome pic!

                    We had a great time eating and hanging out together.  This was one of those days that I did not eat very healthy.  Carrots were pretty much the extent of the vegetables with a lot of chips, yummy dips, brownies, and so much more. Some days you just have to enjoy the food, knowing the next day will bring much healthier eating and exercise to get back on track.

                     I am so excited to be participating in my cousin's 2nd Annual Strides Against Stroke 5K next Saturday June 1st.  My cousin works at Self Regional Health Care in Greenwood and is trying toraise awareness about strokes and how you can prevent them. My mom and sister are meeting me there where we will support Strides Against Strokes.  There will be speakers who have suffered strokes and information about how to prevent strokes.  Another bonus to the event, is getting to see my cousin's adorable little baby girl.  She was born last November, and is absolutely precious.
                      My food filled weekend made me anxious to get in a good workout on Tuesday. I have really been enjoying switching up my workouts lately.  Yesterday I ran 2.8 miles and did a quick kickboxing arms working.  I did this set three times:

50 alternating front jabs
15 front double jabs( quick jab, then a harder one with the same arm)
15 uppercuts on each side.
20 alternating elbows ( power elbows alternating to each side).

                   I used a mixture of arm moves we used at my kickboxing class at the YMCA.  I have also been creating circuits including running one mile or .25 miles with arm and leg quick workouts.  I think my body is working harder with the variety of types of workouts.

How do you switch up your workouts so that your body doesn't get used to the same ones?

           

Shrimp Ceviche!

            Dev and I were thinking of a good dinner last week, and for some reason Ceviche came up.  We thought...there is no way we can make this. To our suprise...after some research, we found a pretty easy recipe with shrimp  Making Shrimp Ceviche is not hard, but you have to have about 2 hours.  Most of this is time for it to cool and blend together.

First, squeeze the juice out of one orange, one lemon, and one lime.  

Next, dice half of a cucumber.

Then, boil about half of a bag of Wild Alaskan Shrimp for 1 minute. After it boils, shell and devein the shrimp.

Chop the shrimp into thirds.Next, dice a small handful of onions.  Put the juice, cucumbers, and shrimp in a bowl  in the fridge for 1 hour.

While the mixture is cooling dice tomatoes, and chop a small handful of cilatntro.  

Add the tomatoes, and cilantro after the one hour of cooling.  Let the mixture sit at room tempurature for 30 minutes.

This might be the prettiest and most delicate meal i've ever made.  It is quite beautiful and so tasty...plus its healthy.  So delish!

Have you ever created a dish that at first seemed impossible?  

A Relaxing Weekend of Things I Love!

         I was so excited to have a long weekend where I could relax.  Dev and I love doing things with people, but somehow we always end up booking up our weekends.  Needless to say, I was pumped about one to myself.

 

Mowgli and Chloe on the ride to Chapin! Lookin so cute!

        We left to go Chapin where Devin and  are both from.  One of the best things about Chapin is Lake Murray.  Growing up on the lake, we love relaxing and hanging out on the water.  I can't explain how beautiful and relaxing the lake is with  the sun radiating on it and creating a shimmering sparkles.
 This is my happy place!

What a view! Love Lake Murray!

                The next morning, I woke up and went for a run.  Hearing the birds chirping and the wonderful sounds of nature inspired me to leave my music and running tracker at home.  There is something about going for a run, just to enjoy running.  No focusing on my running pace, or being distracted by music.  This gave me a good time to enjoy nature and appreciate God's beautiful creations.  This was one of the most freeing and relaxing runs in a while.  It made me encourage myself to run without music or my running tracker more often.  Sometimes we get so distracted with burning the most calories and finding the best song, that we forget to just enjoy and appreciate nature around us.              

               We went on the lake for a few hours and then ate late lunch at Liberty on the Lake.  I ordred a delicious Strawberry and Spinach Shrimp Salad.   It had spinach with shrimp, candied pecans, strawberries and goat cheese.  It was the perfect lunch on a hot day on the lake.  The first lake day of the summer was perfect.  I loved it and can't wait for the many lake days to come.

                 After getting back home, Dev had a great idea for dinner.  We love ceviche, but had never thought to make it on our own.  So......we did.  

Shrimp Ceviche.....delish!

                   The ceviche had orange, lime, and lemon juice with diced cucmbers, tomatoes, red onions and boiled shrimp.   We will definitely be making this more often.We sat on our patio to enjoy our favorite new dish. 

Our Knockout Rose Bushes right now!

             After dinner, we were admiring our beautiful Knockout Rose Bushes my grandma gave us. This has been a such a nice and relaxing weekend with so many things I love.....Dev, my pups, a good run, the lake,  and good eatin'!

What would your most relaxing and enjoyable weekend consist of?

Kicking the chemicals to the curb!

             The past week or so has been crazy.  We have our BIG state testing at school this coming week so I feel like I have worked myself and my little third graders to death.  It is nice because I have seen so much growth in them over the past year.  We have about a month until the summer...WooHooo...can't wait.

Dr. Oz interviewed  Joe Cross discussing the
 power of  your body being able to heal itself.

            Last week, Dev recorded a Dr. Oz show that I absolutely loved and found so informative.  Dr. Oz is always awesome with great information, but this episode just really stuck out.  I always knew that eating healthier was good for your body, but he explained it so well.  He was actually interviewing  Joe Cross        the famous juicer with his website and documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  Joe explained that after juicing, his body was able to heal itself from Chronic Urticaria.  After interviewing, Dr. Oz explained that the body is made to heal itself.  He said that when we eat processed foods with chemicals, we create obstacles for our body to heal itself.  When we eat vegetables and put nutrients in our body, it aids the healing process.  WOW....I don't know why, but this really hit me.  I had noticed that over the past year or so I wasn't getting sick nearly as much.  ( Being a teacher...germs are everywhere)  I knew it had to do with eating healthier, but this explained it so well.
        I really wish that when people spend all of this time and money on diets that have no nutritional value and put chemicals and other junk in their body, they would realize that eating better is so much more than that.  Being HEALTHY is so much more important than just losing weight.  If they only knew how much better you feel, and the way your body loves you so much more when you put good things into it. People should focus more on putting good nutrients in their body, instead of processed foods full of chemicals that our bodies aren't  made to digest.  I have a prime example.  I have slowly taken diet sodas out of my daily diet.  I hadn't had one in about a month or two.  I drank one this weekend, and man did my stomach reject it.  I felt so sick.  I have found  Sparkling Ice as a replacement that gives me the fizzy and burning feeling when I drink it, without all the awful chemicals like aspartame.  It also has 0 calories and green tea extract.  My favorite flavor is Black Raspberry.

You can find Sparkling Ice in grocery stores, and some gas stations.

          With this in mind, I am on a mission to seek out meals, snacks, drinks etc.  that contain good nutrients for my body without all of the awful chemicals.  It is hard to do this with so many delicious, yet awful foods everywhere you go.  They are marketed and staring you in the face at every store you stop at.

What helps you avoid the chemically filled and processed foods, and replace them with a whole and natural diet?

Stockin Up on the Good Stuff

               I am so excited to rack up on some of my favorite go to ingredients.  I started a new mason jar system that helps us get things like almonds,rice, quinoa, flax seed, steel cut oats etc. in bulk.  We have found that it is tremendously cheaper to get bags of these key ingredients from the bins at whole foods. Dev went and stocked up on them for us...we were getting to the bare minimum.




                We also picked up some frozen meat for the next few weeks.We found it at a local farm. We started buying  a good amount of  meat frozen meat at once, and just keeping it in the freezer.  Dev bought 4 chicken thighs, 4 chicken wings, and two steaks for $25 at Bethel Trails Farm.  It is better quality meat for a great price.   We try to only eat meat a few days a week.  We save this good meat for when we do...because it is delish.  I encourage you to check out a local farm or place to grass fed meat. It tastes so much better.

Bethel Trails Frozen Meat: chicken thighs, chicken wings, and  steak...Yum!

               Tonight after a work event, Dev cooked the steak, asparagus, and corn.  It was indescribable.  We have gotten grass fed steak from Whole Foods and loved it.   However, this was even better!  If you haven't had grass fed steak...you must!  It has a much deeper and richer flavor than normal steak. You can find it at Whole Foods, or a local farm.  

              

 These are a few of my favorite things to stock up on and keep around the kitchen.  The frozen meat can be kept for a while in the freezer and then thawed out the morning you want to eat it, and the mason jars help with price and availability of some of my favorite ingredients. 

          What are some of your favorite foods to stock up on and keep around the kitchen?

           

Playing Catch Up!

           I'm sorry its been a while since i've blogged.  The past few weeks have been a little crazy.  The end of the nine weeks is always so busy getting grades in.  Not to mention, state testing and a field trip. Then we move outside of my work world to driving to see family back and forth for Easter.  We saw Devin's family in Atlanta on Saturday.  Next, we went home,went to church, and then off to Columbia to see my family and his parents.  Whew!  Like I said...a bit crazy! 
         I am writing a quick post, because today we are off to visit my brother in Baltimore, Maryland.  His girlfriend and family live there too, so it is nice to visit all of them. 

Jimmy, Brianna and me cruising around DC last year when we visited him.

          This morning I woke up and couldn't sleep later  like I wanted to. So.....I decided to do a Fierce and Fab Workout. It is by Tony Horton, the guy who created P90X. This one is a go to favorite.  I love the mix between strength and cardio.  Also, I am all about working the upper and lower parts of your body in the same move.  During my 4 minutes of cardio, Mowgli was trying to decide what workout he should choose from my workout binder.  This is precious!

            I've been mixing it up between indoor strength focused workouts from magazines, and running about 3 miles.  I am really liking sprinting and recovering when I run.  I can feel my body working harder than it has in a while.  I've tried to to keep my eating in check, while still enjoying the wonderful Easter food.

         I hope to post sooner this time, but who knows.  I hope you had a wonderful Easter and spent quality time with family.

Veggie Bakes and a workout changeup!

     I have recently discovered one of my current favorite side dishes...baked veggies!  I love them for a few reasons!  I am not a huge fan of broccoli....but crispy broccoli is irresistable.  I still get my fast food fix from a few good potato fries bakes.  Lastly, the carrots are just good!
       So to prepare the veggies, I spread broccoli pieces, sliced carrots, and cut potatos.  I lightly brushed them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh rosemary.


Before veggies are thrown in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 375 and bake them for about 30 minutes.  I put them on broil for a few minutes after to get them good and crispy.
 

After the veggies are baked...yum!

           This was one of my favorite meals in a while.  We had leftover adobo spicy beans Devin made in the crockpot.  The delicious pork chop is from a local farm Bethel Trails in Gray Court, SC.

Our final product!

             I have recently been changing up my work out perspective.  I used to go out and run about 3 miles at a consistent pace.  After reading a few articles in health magazines, I decided to run my normal 3 miles.  This time I started out at a very slow pace  for a half mile warm up.  Then I made visual markers to sprint about 15-30 seconds.  After each sprint,  I went back down to a slow jog for double the time to recover.  I did this back and forth for about 2 miles in between my half mile warm up and cool down.  Needless to say, I was struggling at the end.  I could really feel my body working harder than I have in a while.  I think I had gotten in a running rut, and my body needed  a few changes in my routine.  I am doing the same thing right now with my circuits and playing with a change in raising my heart rate high and then bringing it down back and forth.  I am really starting to be more in touch with my heart rate during workouts. 

How do you get out of your workout ruts?



Gut Check Time!

            Ok so i have Recently decided to have a personal intervention or gut check. My main two weaknesses are starting to get the best of me.

              

           Number one is picking at snacks and food. Once I start letting myself pick at food, I don't go back. I will start with a handful of peanuts, then a gingerbread cookie which is a healthy version. From there I keep picking a little here and there. Then it leads to day by day.   Slowly, I pick so much in the afternoons, that I am not very hungry by dinner.  So now I have to restrict myself to only eating when I sit down for a meal or planned snack.   It is not easy once I have become a habitual picker, but I have to make myself do it.

         

        Weakness number two is chocolate. I usually only let myself have one sweet treat a day, but I have been slacking. I'll take a mint here, Reese's there, then some for dinner. Now it is very small portions, but it doesn't matter when you end up eating 3 or 4 pieces a day.   Now I have to put myself back on one piece a day, which is usually after dinner.
       The problem becomes when I have a get together or special occasions. For example I am getting together with a previous bible study group for appetizers and desserts.  However, I have decided that these events are not what do the damage. It is okay to enjoy these, but just picking and eating chocolate outside of my once a day and events is the problem. So I have decided to enjoy the bad food on special occasions. However, to be able to do this, I have to follow my guidelines at home.
      I know this may seem minor or not a big deal, but once I start picking at foods and eating chocolate, it just builds and gets worse and worse.  Does anyone else have this problem?  If so, do you have other suggestions?

What are your eating weaknesses, and how do you keep them in check?

The Happiest 5k on the Planet!

When the signs said The Happiest 5k on the Planet I knew the run would be fun.... but  had no idea the extent of the COLOR PARTAY!  First of all it was freezing at 40 degrees while we were waiting. I must say we had fun with our outfits.

Before Pics:

I was so excited my mom could come and join the fun!

        As we're waiting it was so much fun to look at other outfits. We saw tutus, plenty of high colorful socks, and a lot of wigs.   The build up while we were waiting was crazy. We did the wave and danced to fun pump up music. 

    ....And when we started, our first color was yellow. As we ran through the yellow cloud, dust covered us as volunteers squirted it all over us. Next we had pink, followed by red, then purple, and blue. It was so exciting to run through the different colors.   Little did I know how quickly the run would pass when we were having such a blast.  It was so exciting to see people of all ages and sizes celebrating exercising and helping the local charity, Girls on the Run.  There were a variety of people running, walking and acting crazy.  After, we took a lot of fun pics:

After Pics: 

My hubby and me!



Mom had a great time!



Fun pic with Devin's parents

         When we crossed the finish line, there was a huge color rave party.  It was amazing!  We got color packets for the rave party in our pre run packets.  There was also an awesome band and plenty of fun giveaways.  Every 15 minutes or so there would be a color throw.  Everyone counted down.....and boom the color packets were thrown everywhere.




There were clouds of color surrounding us!

I have to say, this was the most fun run I have every been to.  Also, I loved how everyone joined together to help a great cause and celebrate exercise.  What has been your favorite run or exercise event you have been to?

Color Run!

I am so excited to do my first color run Saturday March 2nd in Columbia. We have quite a huge group running together.   This video shows what the run is all about.

       I have to say that I am super excited for a few reasons. First, colors thrown on me different points of the race is super exciting. Second, we have a huge group so there will be so much support. I am most excited that my mom is participating. I have been talking about health for about a year and a half to her. The main reason was because she is my best friend and I want her here forever...  :).   She has gotten so into working out and being healthy now. I. Can't wait do this fun run with her and so many others.   I can't wait to post some pics after!

Has anyone ever done a color run before? Do you have any suggestions?


I think registrationis still open if anyone is interested: http://thecolorrun.com/columbia/ 

Clemson game

               For the Clemson Miami game, Devin and I were debating between going to the game at Clemson, or staying home to enjoy some great appetizers and a few beers. We decided that getting cozy on the couch in sweatpants, eating some delicious appetizers, and having a few beers sounded more fun and a whole lot cheaper. We starting cruising around our newly added SUPERTarget ( can you tell how excited I am?) and came up with a few good and pretty healthy appetizers. We recently had a delicious Greek salad at Zorbas, and ever since then I have been loving Greek salads. So... We  got lettuce , olives, feta cheese, and pepperonchinis to make one. YUM!                                          

            I feel like there has to be some good sports appetizers. We settled first for nachos.  We stuck corn tostitos topped with sharp cheddar cheese and jalapeños in the oven. Then we added salsa and light sour cream. 

                                                                 Lovin some nachos!

I walked by a pizza and oh man... I had to have some pizza. We thought about making our own, but then looked at frozen pizzas.Wait... 

The calories were herendous. So we resorted back to making our own. We used whole wheat tortillas and spread pizza sauce on them. Then we sprinkled cheddar cheese and turkey pepperoni on top. We put them in the oven on  bake and then broil until they were golden brown.  

Watching a clemson ball game we needed beer. I got select 55. I am a huge girl when it comes to beer.  I like Select 55, but can tolerate Mich Ultra. This is as far as my beer drinking extends. 

 We had so much fun eating our homemade apps and drinking beer while cheering on the tigers. Clemson ended  up losing by 2 points to Miami. Miami was no. 3 in the polls.  Even though, it stunk we lost, but it was such a great game! 

To finish off the night I ate a pack of skinny cow dreamy clusters. They are only 120 calories of a perfect chocolate, nut and caramel mixture.   

What are some of your favorite appetizers for a big game? 

Fitness Circuit and Pump Up Jams!

First of all, I have to say that I absolutely reading magazines.  When I spot one in the mailbox, I get way more excited than I should. :)  With that being said, I was perusing through my new fitness magazine when I spotted a new Fitness workout. Lately, it has been a bit colder than normal for the south, so I have been doing some circuits in my house.  I find that doing circuits are great for a few reasons:

1. It mixes up your normal workout routine.  This is good for changing up your monotous routine, and changing up the workout is great for your body too.

2. Also, it is very time efficient.  There are some good workouts for abour 30 minutes I have found from magazines, online, and other blogs.  This takes away the time to drive to the gym and back in the mornings before work.

3.  You can stay out of the cold.

4. You can add or take away favorites or dislikes you may have in the workout.

Fitness workout.

I actually went through this particually routine twice.  I modified the pushups to do girlie pushups.  (Playing basketball in college, I hated lifting so much weight.  I would much rather do more reps than more weight.) 
This work out is by far one my favorites.  I also love how I was constantly doing some type of upper and lower body workout with each step. 

                  Lately, I have gotten a little tired of my routine music, so I looked on Pandora for some workout mixes.  I found one that I am loving.  It keeps a good up tempo beat and mixes in the hip hop and pop styles I like.  The pandora station is called  Pop and Hip Hop Power Workout.  I also am loving the Pandora station called Workout Radio.

What are some of your favorite indoor circuits and what workout music are you loving right now?

Family, Food and Fun!

             This weekend was a great time to enjoy being with family, eat some great food, and just relax and have fun.  It was jam packed with fun shopping and my new favorite dessert.  We went to Chapin Friday night to cook my mom a birthday dinner.  I am so proud of the weight she has already lost over the past few months, so we got grass fed steak for her birthday dinner.  Man do I love some Grass Fed Steak...delish!!!  It was so nice to relax by the fire and enjoy each other's company.

              Saturday, I went shopping with my mom and sister.  We had such a blast.  First, we went to Starbucks, and we got skinny vanilla lattes.  These have changed my life...haha  but seriously they are amazing and you don't feel guilty drinking them.  

            As we walked out of the Starbucks, we noticed a setup for the American Heart Association.  It was a display with stations that had a variety of things to learn about keeping your heart healthy.  There were stations with giveaways and door prizes to sign up for.  One station had a variety of heart healthy recipes.  The last station we stopped at was the BMI and body fat station.  They tested your Body Fat and BMI to tell us what our ranges were. 

             I was so excited to see such a great set up in the mall.  I feel like sometimes people get so caught up in actually losing weight that they forget that the most important thing is to keep your body healthy.  I also think that there is not enough support and encouragement for people to live healthier.  Needless to stay, I was so excited to see such a great display for health awareness.

                               The stations were around the setup displayed above.

                  After a great day of shopping with the girls, I came home to a beautiful view of Lake Murray from the back porch.  Wow what a view... I just love this!

Now to a great recipe I made for my cousin's baptism...Apple Crisp!

I love this recipe because it is quick, easy, and healthier for you than most desserts. I had already decided to make it for my cousin's lunch after her baptism and then it was posted on one of my new favorite blogs 

Carrots n cake.  I did a little different oatmeal twist and based my recipe on  this apple crisp recipe.  I made the recipe for a bigger pan since we would be having a lot of people for the baptism.                                   

           These are the only ingredients.  I tried to hide the butter, because I am not a fan.  I have recently found that is is better to have some butter and sugar in a dessert so that one serving satisfies me.  I have learned that replacing with applesauce or other healthier replacing options just leaves me wanting more.                      

           To make the Apple Crisp heat the oven 350 degrees.  Dice up about 8 apples and spread the across a 9x11 pan.  Pour a little water in the bottom.  This helps get the apples a little mushy so they melt in your mouth.  Next, mix 1 1/3 cups of brown sugar, 1 cup of oats, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, a stick of butter softened , and a tablespoon of cinnamon.   Mix this together and pour it over the top of the apples.  After, I added more cinnamon and I poured a little melted butter over the top to get it crispy.  It cooked for about 45 minutes.  The Apple Crisp is even better when you make it the night before and it can blend together overnight.                                                                                                                                         

                                                 

                                                  What is your favorite dessert right now?