Snack Ideas

I'm always looking for new snack ideas and I came across an article today that provides you with 25 snacks under 100 calories.  After going through the list I decided I want to share it.  There are some great snack ideas and for once they aren't just "eat an apple or carrots" they are actual foods that people want to eat but think they can't because of the calories.  Remember you can eat "unhealthy" foods, just in moderation, that's key!
 
25 Super Snacks With 100 Calories or Less

1. 1/2 Cup Slow-Churned Ice Cream
2. 6 Cups Microwave Popcorn
3. Mini Quesadilla
4. Cottage Cheese and Cantaloupe
5. Three Crackers With Cheese
6. Fourteen Almonds
7. Six Whole-Grain Pretzel Sticks
8. Baked Apple
9. Cheese-Stuffed Pita Pocket
10. Blueberry Smoothie
11. 1/3 Cup Edamame
12. 3/4 Cup Frozen Mango Cubes
13. Eight Baby Carrots with Hummus
14. Apple Slices With Peanut Butter
15. Yogurt With Sunflower Seeds
16. Nonfat Greek Yogurt with Honey
17. Half a Baked Potato with Salsa
18. Frozen Yogurt Sandwich
19. 20 Pistachios
20. Frozen Banana Pop
21. 1 Cup Tomato Soup
22. 1/3 Cup Dry Oat Squares Cereal
23. 1 Cup Grapes
24. Smoked Salmon Pinwheel
25. One Cup Jicama Sticks and Salsa

 
You can read more details about these snacks at http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-100-calorie-snacks?ecd=wnl_wmh_022713&ctr=wnl-wmh-022713_ld-stry&mb=
 

Gym...Not Today

It's normal for me to come up with excuses to not go to the gym, but today's excuse is an actual good one.  No I wouldn't call it an excuse, I would call it a good reason.  My little brother is returning home after being in Japan for a year.  My husband and I want to surprise him by being at my parents house when they return from the airport.  I am so excited to have him back in the states and I know my husband is excited too because now I have my little brother to pick on again instead of picking on the hubby. lol

So yes, no gym today, but tomorrow I will push it twice as hard to make up for it.  Especially because we are eating gluten free pizza tonight to celebrate....

GPS Watch

For Valentine's Day I bought my husband a GPS watch...and because it was such a great deal I bought myself one also...so these watches do just about anything you could possibly think of. They track the elevation, your path, it knows the temperature...you can even download maps and follow them. It's going to be great for hikes. We will be able to see the trail we actually took which will help us know how far we went and to help us remember the trail that we took. I am pretty excited and am already pumped for an overnight hike. I hope this winter and spring go away fast because I am ready for summer time.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!

Normally I'm not excited about this holiday, but this year is different.  It's my first Valentine's Day with my husband and for some reason I want it perfect.  So far....it's been perfect.  My wonderful husband gave me a beautiful bracelet with my birth stones...it's absolutely beautiful!  He also left me a heart message on our bathroom mirror which was another complete surprise.  He even made us dinner reservations for Stanley and Seaforts which allowed us to dress up and go out for a romantic date. He sure if full of surprises this year and I'm loving it. This has been the best Valentine's Day ever, I am so thankful for my loving husband.  I hope everyone is having an amazing Valentine's Day like I am!

 

 

 

Protein Shake

Normally I have a protein shake after a hard workout, but I've decided to change things up and drink them for breakfast.  Today was day one of a protein shake for breakfast and it was delicious.  I added a few fresh strawberries, with the vanilla protein powder, and 1% milk.  It was delicious and filled me up.  Tomorrow I am going to add a few blackberries to see how it goes with the strawberries....yum!  If anyone has any great ideas for breakfast protein shakes please send them my way.  I am in need of recipes!

One Month Gluten Free

I started my gluten free lifestyle change one month ago. It seems like it was just last week that I said I was going gluten free, I can't believe a month has already passed by. I must say that I won't be eating gluten again for a very long time. My husband and I tried a small amount of gluten last week and it was awful...it was a huge eye opener...and I never want to experience that pain again. We first started this change because of my husband but we have slowly figured out that I was the one that really needed this change. I've had stomach issues for years and over the last month they have disappeared. I no longer have stomach issues unless I eat gluten...so even though I was skeptical of this whole thing, I am now thankful. I am thankful that I can eat foods and not worry about what it's going to do to me an hour later.

I've spoke to some people about this and they asked me if myself or my husband went to the doctor before gluten free and the answer is...no. Because doctors still don't have a clear understanding to gluten, I found that it would be a waste of time for me. I'd rather try something and see how it works, and for me it worked out great. But I'm sure this isn't the case for all...if you have stomach issues it could be something else, so try eliminating different things one at a time to see how it affects you. Some people have issues with sugar, wheat, dairy, etc....just don't get stuck in the "fad" and do it because everyone else is doing it. I hate when people do that...

Gym Workout Success

Last night my husband and I went to the gym and tried out a new routine.  It actually worked out really well for the both of us, but it's not something I could do everyday.  We started off walking/jogging 1 mile around the track, then did 2000 meters on the rowing machine, and then finished jogging/running another mile.  When we got home I plugged in my bodymedia armband to see how many calories I burned, and it said I burned 350 calories.  Which isn't bad since we were only at the gym for 45 minutes. 

What workouts do you do at the gym?

Super Bowl Success

When it comes to sporting events most people decide to eat a lot of unhealthy fried and greasy food, but not me.  Did you give in to the unhealthy food?  I am happy to say I stuck with my diet and ate left overs while everyone else enjoyed drinks, appetizers, and pizza.  It wasn't easy to watch everyone eat the delicious food, and the smell was probably the worst part because it smelled amazing.  But today as I think about last night and am very proud of myself for not giving in.  I'm usually one to say "Oh today is my eat anything day"...not any more I no longer do that once a week and I think it's really helped.  I know as soon as I start eating crap again my healthy eating is done with and that's not how I want to live.  I want to continue to eat healthy even when I reach my goal weight.  So look out world I'm not giving in to your greasy fatty foods no more...hello new me!

Goodbye fat

I am excited to announce that I'm down more weight. It's amazing what exercising and eating 1200 calories of gluten free food can do. I just hope to lose 10 more this month. I've spoken to people who ask me why go gluten free and I tell them it's a change to see how many body reacts. I've had stomach issues for years and now I don't have them. It could be because all I eat now is natural foods....Staying away from preservatives and gluten...or it could be because of all the veggies and lean meat I'm eating. All I know is that it's working for me and that's exciting. Everyone's body reacts differently. So you need to find what works for you.