Oh Happy Day :) 3/30/13

Hey there, hi there, ho there! I tell you what, I’m feeling great today! I’m not sure if it’s the beautiful weather we had in NKY today, the blooming flowers, the happy Easter holiday or what – but something’s working!

I decided today that it is time to lock it up. Again. I’m getting control of my nutrition and I am excited about it! I went to the grocery store and dominated the produce section! I got lots of delicious vittles for meal prep and options for healthy snacks. This is what I have planned for my meals this week (rotating):

Lunch/Dinner:

·         Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Smoky Tomato Sauce, Quinoa and Roasted Zucchini

·         Black Bean Burger, Quinoa and Roasted Asparagus

·         Roasted Vegetables with Chipotle Sauce, Quinoa

Breakfast (in addition to 2 scoops pea protein powder + water):

·         Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortilla, PB2 and Banana wrap

·         1 cup(cooked) Oatmeal with cinnamon, a few raisins and fresh blueberries

I must say, I’m pretty excited about all of it! I’ll post recipes for everything once I figure it out (though breakfast is pretty self-explanatory). J

I’ve noticed that I’m having a hard time keeping to my clean eating because I am letting outside influences take over. I’ve been blaming my work, my house, my schedule – everything. What it boils down to is just the simple fact that I haven’t been disciplined enough, but that’s changing as of now! It is beyond time for me to regain control of my life and my body. I know that getting to the gym is going to be a struggle for a while, due to the simple fact that I often work late (getting home between 11-1230 at night) and then have homework to do… which makes waking up at 5am quite difficult. I am going to do my best with it. Now that the weather is finally breaking and getting warmer, I plan to start running outdoors again, taking Nora for hilly walks etc… anything to get in as much exercise as possible.

I’ve been pretty down lately. Thus far, 2013 has introduced stress beyond my mental capacity and it has taken a huge toll on my health. I basically spent the first two months of the year sick – due to stress, lack of sleep and poor nutrition. I noticed myself getting on that routine again and got sick over the last few days but I am changing it all now. After being completely miserable yesterday with a migraine and feeling nauseas, I slept really great last night, ate better today and am doing something that is really important for my life: planning and preparing. With my schedule as crazy as it is, I know that if I am not adequately prepared, I’m screwed. SO, meals are planned and will be prepped tomorrow. My schedule is full this week but I plan to utilize my time as efficiently as possible to get good sleep every night. And I’m going to try not to get too stressed. I said try.

And now for a recipe!

 

Black Bean Burgers (adapted from Vegetarian Times magazine)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed (roughly 2 cups)

1 ½ cups Carrots, peeled and chopped fine or grated (roughly 4 carrots)

1 small onion, chopped (roughly 1 cup)

½ cup Rolled Oats (not instant)

¼ cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Chile Powder

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

1 tbs Garlic, minced

1 tsp Kosher Salt

Pinch Black Pepper

Procedure:

·         Pulse beans, carrots, onion, oats, cilantro, spices, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor until combined (not completely pureed).

·         Pinch the mixture to see if it holds together; if not, add low sodium vegetable stock or water 1tbs at a time until it does.

·         Chill the mixture 30 minutes to overnight before forming patties.

·         Shape into patties – size is up to you, I was able to get 7 out of this recipe.

·         Heat skillet (I used non-stick) or griddle over medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray and carefully place patties onto cooking surface. Cook 3-5 minutes (until browned and crisp in places), flip and cook another 3-5 minutes.

·         Serve with desired garnishes. (I ate mine without bun, topped with butter lettuce, sliced tomato and fresh black bean/corn salsa)

Black Bean Burger with Roasted Asparagus

 

Chill Out, Life! 3/26/13

Well kids, mama’s a little overwhelmed right now. The past sixish months have brought quite a lot to my life and it’s not slowing down any time soon. Brief re-cap: I’m in school full time (working to maintain my 4.0), working part to full time, taking care of Nora whenever I’m not doing those things, dealing with the ex and all of the nonsense that comes with him all while trying to maintain some sort of personal sanity. That last part has proven to be difficult. Unfortunately, with everything else that is going on, sticking to my fitness and nutrition plan has, well, not happened. Mostly due to the lack of time, I haven’t been going to the gym consistently, if at all, and my nutrition has had its ups and downs. I’m trying to get back into my gym routine and am consciously working on my nutrition (meal planning, prepping etc) but I am more or less maintaining at this point. I’ve continued to weigh myself and I seem to be maintaining between 230 and 240lbs. I’m not  necessarily happy with this (especially when it gets closer to 240) but I am glad that I’m not gaining it back – and I think I can give veganism a lot of credit for that.

I do have plans for myself: I plan to run a variety of 5ks throughout the summer and cap off the year with the Tough Mudder in October. I have quite a lot of training to do for all of these events but I am confident that I can prepare myself adequately, if I work hard to find the time to dedicate to the training.

Now, I certainly didn’t get back to my blogging just to complain the whole time… I am excited about some of the things going on right now! My culinary education is going really well and I am becoming all the more passionate about food and health. I’ll be sharing recipes again and look forward to creating some beautiful and healthy dishes to share! Today, a simple but delicious side dish:

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

·         1 bunch Asparagus, ends trimmed

·         1-2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·         1 tsp Kosher Salt

·         ½ tsp Ground Pepper (black or white)

 

Prodedure:

·         Pre-heat oven to 400.

·         Lay asparagus in even layer on baking sheet; drizzle oil over and toss to coat

·         Sprinkle salt and pepper and roast in oven until tender-crisp (20-25 minutes)

·         Enjoy!  

Seen below, served aside a Black Bean Burger (to be shared at a later date :) )

So at this point, my goal for this blog is the same as it was when it began: document my weightloss and share recipes, workouts and tips for any and all interested readers.  The biggest changes lie in the fact that I don't have quite as much time to commit to it as I did when I started and my personal goal is now the progression of my body, and not simply weight loss. I am working to become stronger and more overall fit and healthy, not just lighter. I hope that you will continue to follow my progress and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have; food, exercise or otherwise! :)

Here is a current picture, comparison of 4 years ago:

BTW I'm also on Instagram now! @amcrowdus