Health and Fitness Goals

After setting my new health and fitness goals and losing 2 pounds last week, I'm on a mission to lose 10-12 more pounds in the next 6 weeks, which would put me back to my ideal healthy weight. I read recently that posting my goals online is one good way to keep myself accountable and focused so here we are. :)

A few great sources of fitness information, I've been doing the cardio workouts from the Self Drop 10 Challenge and using Calorie Counter to track the calories of recipes I create. Although, I do read the recipe recommendations of both sites and have tried a few of their recipes with modifications, I tend to cook using my own recipes given I have strict personal dietary requirements/restrictions that their recipes don't always accommodate for. Also, after the last five years of practicing, I've actually become great at creating and making healthy recipes that taste amazing! :)

As part of the process, I created a Health and Fitness page on Pinterest. I've been especially enjoying the workouts labeled Monday - Friday (pictured below) & am pleased with the results so far. I have yet to find/make time each week to do five 1-hour workouts. I am getting in four good 1-hour workouts each week and lengthening the cardio beyond 20 minutes at least twice a week to get more miles in.

Before I started this new routine, I was hiking Runyon Canyon regularly but wasn't weight training and had hit a plateau, not seeing any weight loss results and actually gained a few pounds over the winter. Although I was eating healthy & exercising regularly, I wasn't counting my calorie intake. So as I was discussing this frustration with my lack of results with my good friend (who's in fabulous shape BTW), he suggested added interval running for 20 minutes a day, 5 days per week and weight training to my routine. I agreed to try and see what happened.

When I decided to start incorporating running into my workout routine, I began with interval "jogging" on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I decided to improve and increase my speed each week to build strength without causing self-injury or strain from over-doing it. It has been years since I've been a "runner" and I wasn't sure how my body would react to be honest. I'm now interval jogging/walking between a 20 min mile pace and 11.2 min mile pace for 20 - 30 minutes + doing the weight training routines below and ending with a 10 - 15 minute stretch & yoga session. Last week, I cut my daily calorie intake to 1600 per day and am finally seeing results on the scale. 5.5 weeks to go...

Baked eggs in a portabello mushroom with fresh herbs.

For brunch, I tried a variation of this recipe by Poor Girl Eats Well today and it was delicious.

The only changes I made was to the choice of herbs. I used fresh organic basil, thyme, cilantro,scallions and parsley. I baked the mixture for 30 minutes. Next time I would bake it for 27 minutes.

Here's a before and after pic. Healthy and delicious. Enjoy.

It's A Boy! "Baby Feet" Baby Shower

Baby Feet

On Saturday, I co-hosted a baby shower with four amazing ladies for 30 guests for our friend's first pregnancy/baby.

Our theme was Boy Baby Feet. Our party planning duties included:

• Decor (Tables / Chairs / Plates / Cups / Napkins / Balloons / Hanging Decor / Signs / Music) 
• Appetizers (Cheese Platter)
• Main Course (Tea Sandwiches / Spinach Pesto Salad / Veggie Platter)
• Desserts (Cake / Cake Pops / Cookies / Mints)
• Drinks (Cucumber Lemon Water / Lemonade / Champagne Punch / Coffee)
• Games & Gifts (Advice For Mommy Scrapbook / Baby Gift Bingo / Guess the Jelly Beans / Guess the Baby Animal Name / Gifts for Guests & Game Winners / Guest Sign-In Plate)

I made the Cucumber Lemon Water & the Baby Feet Cheese Platter. Because we love to entertain at home, I have created a great "dinner party" playlist that we used as the background music. 

Cucumber Lemon Water

Recipe for Cucumber Lemon Water

• 5 quarts of chilled water
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 small cucumber (5 inches), thinly sliced
• Ice

Thinly slice lemons & cucumbers and add slices to the pitcher/container. Add water & ice. Stir gently. Let sit for about an hour. Served 30 people (Just add more water to the pitcher as needed).

Baby Feet Cheese Platter

The Baby Feet Cheese Platter (Good rule: 1 oz. cheese per person)

• 6 blocks of cheese (Havarti with Dill, Gouda, Brie, Blue, Swiss Gruyere, Toscano)
• 2 packages of Sliced 4-Cheese Variety Party Pack
• Strawberries
• Grapes (Red & Green)
• Walnuts
• French Baguette
• Cracker Assortment

I used a footprint cookie cutter to cut the sliced cheese into baby feet as the border of the platter (I'm using the extra cheese bits to make a delicious quesadilla this week). I arranged the cheese on the plate, added the fresh fruit, sprinkled the walnuts into the holes. I made my own cheese labels (wrapped 2 address labels around the top of toothpicks using a pretty blue font) and supplied a separate knife for each cheese.

Gifts for the Mommy-To-Be

Instead of a guest book, the guests signed the baby feet plate. 

The "Advice for Mommy" cards were added to the scrapbook below using baby-themed stickers.

Main Lunch Course

Tea Sandwiches & Spinach Pesto Salad

Dessert / Games

Cake, Cake Pops, Diaper Cake, Guess The Jelly Beans, and Baby Feet Mints

Decor / Gifts

Wrapped potted daisy plants in a diaper were centerpieces (also, a parting table gift for guests). 

Baby Feet Lemon Cookies were a gift for guests.

The Cards on the table were for "Advice for Mommy".

What A Happy Day!!! :D

Portabello Mushroom Burger

I haven't eaten beef or chicken in almost 3 weeks. After catching up with my mom on Fat Tuesday and hearing she was eliminating alcohol, sweets AND coffee this year (oh easy, right?), I decided to step it up a notch for lent this year and sacrifice all meat (except fish) and wine. I remember as a child sacrificing things for lent each year that I thought I really cared about (my favorite shoes, soda, desserts). By the time the 40 days of lent passed, I was never interested in them anymore, so I wonder if this will be the case this year as well.  This is truly a lesson in discipline and self-control.

Being that I'm also hoping to see additional positive results in my previously set energy, fitness, skin and overall health goals, practicing 40 days of serious discipline hasn't actually been too much of a chore. I've admittedly missed having a glass of red wine with dinner once in a while. Also, the day we drove by what felt like 10 In-N-Out Burgers heading up from LA to San Luis Obispo, I wanted to stop at each one & grab a animal style protein burger. This is especially bizarre because I don't actually crave In-N-Out often when I CAN HAVE IT ANYTIME I WANT so I don't know why the "YOU CAN'T HAVE IT SO IT'S ALL YOU WANT" gene kicks in NOW.  Other than that, I feel good and am seeing results in my health & fitness goals so it's working!

Since the only meat I've truly craved so far is this In-N-Out burger, last night I made my own version, a portabello mushroom burger. It's true what they say! Portabello mushrooms really are the meat of the vegetable world.

Ingredients:
2 Portabello Mushrooms
Cut Scallions
2 slices Jarlsberg low-fat cheese
spicy mustard
whole-weat buns
3 tbs olive oil
2 cloves frozen garlic (Trader Joe's)
1 frozen basil cube (Trader Joe's)
1 frozen parsley cube (Trader Joe's)

Making the Burger:

• Pre-heated 1.5 tbs olive oil, frozen garlic, basil & parsley from Trader Joe's in grilling pan on medium-high heat.
• Once herbs melted, added 2 chopped scallions & mushrooms to pan.
• Grilled on medium-high for 10 minutes flipping every few minutes.
• Added cheese for last 2 minutes.
• Served on whole-wheat buns with romaine lettuce and spicy mustard.

Makes 2 Servings. Delicious! Enjoy!

100+ Healthy Vegetarian Recipes by Green Kitchen Stories

Stumbled upon Green Kitchen Stories blog and was so excited to discover a huge variety of healthy vegetarian recipes. After browsing this blog, I feel like trying a new recipe tonight! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)