Tackling 2009

This year has gone by in a flash. Have you recapped your top 10 for the year?! Mine are below in no particular order :)

1. got married!
2. went to Prague
3. went to London
4. went to the Dominican Republic
5. thesis proposal got approved and I am almost done (woo hoo!)
6.** healthy and happy family **
7. my dad is cancer free!!!
8. learned a ton about food
9. became an even better cook
10. committed to being a fit and healthy!!

If you are not in the DC area and want an amazing guide to get you to The Body You Want check out:

TBYW: Client Success Manual 

Have a healthy and happy and safe 2010!

Tackling the Holidays

The holidays are quite the event(s)! Going to your parents', to your friends', going to your in-laws! That is a lot of going and a lot of food more than likely. We all have our favorite dish that we love made by our mom's/grandma's/aunt's or even little brothers and while its probably only on the table once or twice a year you might be feeling strong enough to forgo it, but come on, let's not kid ourselves.  So instead of forgoing dessert over the holidays why not bring one more delicious and yet somewhat nutritious item to the table.  I have just made (and tasted) a new recipe.  It is posted below! All the recipes follow the traditional ones.


Low Carb Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 F

-1 c. almond meal
-1/2 teaspoon baking power
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 and 3/4 c. Splenda (or other sweetener)
-1 c. unsalted butter
-4oz. unsweetened dark chocolate
-2 teaspoons of vanilla
-4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons of cream cheese
-1/5 c. smooth ricotta

Grease a 9''x13'' pan.  Mix all dry ingredients.  Melt butter, cream cheese, chocolate and stir in ricotta in a separate bow.  Beat eggs and add to butter mixture.  Gradually mix dry and wet ingredients together.  Bake about 20 minutes. This makes about 48 small, rich brownies about 2 carbs per serving!

Mint Cream:
-1 bar of cream cheese (8 oz)
-6 tablespoons of Spenda
-peppermint extract to taste (I recommend about 3/4 teaspoon or less)

Soften cream cheese and mix all together. Refridgerate.

Chocolate Icing:
-3 tablespoons butter
-1/2 c. (OR LESS) pourable low carb sweetener
-1/3 c. heavy cream
-5 tablespoons unsweetened chocolate powder

Soften butter and mix all together.  Let stand at least 30min. before pouring.

Enjoy the holidays!! Let me know how the recipe turns out for you.

Tackling a Food Hangover

Today I woke up late with a list of things to do including going to the Library of Congress and working on my thesis most of the day and a holiday party tonight, but eating right was still at the top of my list.  Over the weekend my husband and I went to visit his sister, who is newly engaged (yeah!).  So no need to say there was some celebrating.  I knew we were going away so I made sure to accommodate my eating for the week before.  I saved my cheats for Saturday and Sunday.  I still might have overdone it, and definitely felt like I had a carb hangover on the drive home.  To recover from this less than stellar feeling my husband and I promised each other that we would go to the gym together when we got back in town.  It was tough but we did it and were very happy about it too. By doing this, we were both right back on track and did not miss any workouts that week.

Splurges are part of life and you should enjoy them! I have never been one to feel guilty when I eat something that is not healthy. I enjoy it and move on.  Since I am still working towards my goal, I marked  several stars on my meal grid (see I Tackled Week #1) to account for the wine and cinnamon treats I enjoyed and moved on. I also made a huge batch of  Tillie's Turkey Chili to eat this week because I have another weekend of celebrating ahead! We are going to visit my family in North Carolina, and well the most nutritious foods are not always around.....Happy Chanukah everyone!

"....Anyone got a match?"

I Tackled Week #1

This week I started to really pay attention to what I was eating. I made a food journal and a workout journal (really these are both one page sheets I created on Word -you can check it out for yourself below) both of which are super easy to carry around with me or hang on the fridge.  Looking back on the paste week I realize I could have done much better.  My next goal will to eat better next week. If you keep track there is no tricking yourself that you are eating on point when you are not.

By the way, the red stars are my planned out "cheat meals" or so not on the plan meals.  If you know you have a party coming up, plan for it.  Your skinny jeans cannot afford to not plan for the splurges.

Now for the still painful part! My measurements:

Waist (at belly button) = 31.75in                                     down  0 .25in
Waist -2 (2 inches below belly button) = 35.0in           down 0.5 in
Right Thigh = 23.0in.                                                         down 0.5in

I challenge you to get started this week!  Go ahead and share what your plan is? I'd love to hear from you. Don't delay tackle your belly today!

Be A Champion! Get Your Workout Done.

Tonight I had a great workout. I lifted. And not those baby pink dumbells you might see at some gyms or at your grandma's but real, heavy, metal weights and when I finished my workout, I felt like a champion! It's a great feeling and one that is worth feeling over and over again. The good thing about that is, that it is totally in my power everyday to feel like that. It is in your power too!

If you are having a down day the quickest and healthiest way to turn it around is to be active. And yes, that is easier said than done.  One of the best tricks I know is to make an appointment with yourself.  You would never cancel on your doctor, your manicurist, or friend. Right?  I try to lift 3 days a week and do intervals at least 2 times a week.  What's your activity schedule? Please share it with us in a comment!