{ weekend } The Great Outdoors & Halloween Shopping

Día de los Muertos

Bonjour!  The great outdoors is calling me with this phenomenal weather.  Nature has many health benefits of its own and all you have to do to reap them is get outside and enjoy the green nature around you.

I enjoyed my first day off in since October 3rd.  Ah, Saturday... has to be my favorite day of the week.  I slept in for the first time in a while.  After trying to get rid of my caffeine withdraw with homemade brew, we headed to Einstein's for a bite to eat and took a short drive to Philippe Park to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. The park is peaceful until screaming kids go by, but I like the Indian Mound, water views and basking in the sunshine.

After breakfast we took Roxy home and ventured out to do some Halloween shopping... starting with Goodwill and Salvation Army, then to the House of Make Believe (my favorite costume store ever) and a few other random stops.  So far I have makeup, one accessory and a head brimming with ideas for a costume gone wild with imagination.  Stay tuned...


Saturday's Eats 

Brekkie

Organic Coffee with Vanilla Almond Breeze.

A picnic at Philippe Park by the little beach on a blanket in the beautiful sun...

Einsteins Good Grain Bagel with Lite Cream Cheese.

Lunch

Organic Apple and Raw Almonds Shared with Marcel.

Dinner

Outback Steakhouse Deluxe shared with Marcel...

Bloomin' Onion!

Steak with Grilled Lobster Tail, Sweet Potato and Veggies.

Pumpernickel Bread with Honey Butter.

 

Blue Moon.

There was also a 100 calorie Klondike Bar in there, but my camera and computer no longer wish to function properly...


Healthy Habits

Body Care
Body Brushing: check!
Magnesium Oil: topically
Exercise: walking in the park, upstairs

Nourishment
Fruits: 1 serving
Veggies: 2.5 serving
Water: 2 liters

Supplements
Alfalfa: 6 caps
B-12 Plus: 8 sprays
Cellfood: 8 drops
Immune Boost: 1 dropper
Pyruvyl Glycine: 12 sprays
Vitamin D3: 8 sprays

Sunday's Eats

Brekkie

2 Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Organic Coffee with Vanilla Almond Breeze.

After breakfast we took Roxy to the Enterprise Dog Park.  I love this place because of the walking trail... reminds me of Rocky Point.  And there are ponies!

 The pony didn't want to play today, but did come out to say hello.

Lunch

Rotisserie Chicken Organic Salad.

Some leftover Bloomin' Onion.

1/2 Sweet Potato.

My sweet tooth got the best of me this afternoon...

European Chocolate is my weakness, especially with almonds!

100 Calorie Klondike Bar.

Post-lunch we all took an afternoon nap together... Roxy was done...

Dinner

Magic Hat and a Blue Moon later...

Shrimp Scampi with Whole Wheat Pasta and Broccoli.

Healthy Habits

Body Care
Body Brushing: check!
Magnesium Oil: topically
Exercise: dog park walking

Nourishment
Veggies: 5 servings
Water: 2 liters

Supplements
Alfalfa: 6 caps
B-12 Plus: 8 sprays
Immune Boost: 1 dropper
Pyruvyl Glycine: 12 sprays
Vitamin D3: 8 sprays


Blogging is taking so much longer than it should due to technical difficulties.  On my blog to-do list:

• My Amazing Inch Loss Results!!!
• 2010 T-Tapp Retreat: Day 2
• 2010 T-Tapp Retreat: Day 3
• 2010 T-Tapp Retreat: Day 4 / 2010 T-Tapp Trainer Certs: Day 1
• 2010 T-Tapp Trainer Certs: Day 2
• 2010 T-Tapp Trainer Certs: Day 3
• Thursday, October 14th

Note to self: Research new computers that can keep up with my speed.

Off to bed...

Au revoir!
 

I Washed Mine, You Should Too

Hanging to dry...

Green Bags have grown in popularity over the past few years, and I like that.  They were like a new fashion trend around here.  Once our local Publix grocery store had them, every other store with consumer goods seemed to follow suit.  But this "trend" didn't start with a chain grocery store, it began years and years ago with the awareness and wisdom of Earth conscious individuals.  I'm all for our massive population using less plastic anything.  You may not realize just how much this man-made material is affecting our planet.  More research comes out on the dangers of plastics all the time.  Remember the big buzz about bad BPA plastics?

Most of the "green bags" you see in the grocery stores are made from Polypropylene, basically plastic fabric that is washable.  I washed my green bags with a few towels and hung them up to dry.  (I must have a bag in every color of the rainbow!  This isn't even my complete collection.) The fabric dries quickly and as for the little plastic liner at the bottom, I hand washed those separately.

It's important to wash your reusable bags regularly to rid them of bacteria.  Designate certain bags for carrying meat/poultry/fish/eggs only, and other bags for produce, breads, or boxed items. 

Check out this article on by Planet Green on How to Keep Your Reusable Bags
Clean and Safe.

Be Green!

{ weekend } Market on 7th & IKEA

My weekend (6/11-13) went a little something like this...

Friday night rock show @ Market on 7th in Ybor City.



I (immediately) adored their vintage walls.



Market on 7th is a pizza/bar/music venue... and it rocks!



Hanging out with Eric and his date Mindy.



And, of course, Josh...



Rocking out to SHADOWSELF!


{ That's my blonde boyfriend on guitar! ♥ }

I devoured a few bowls of these over the weekend...

♥ fruity pebbles ♥

FINALLY got a chance to get lost at Tampa's IKEA!!!



Their cafeteria food was okay. I ate 1/2 that mac n' cheese and the salad... plus a couple of stolen fries.



I l♥ve IKEA!!!
It was so awesome to see the products in person. (I stalk products on their website regularly.)


And yes the parking lot was about full!

Roses from after the rock show...



Someone named Wario is giving you the evil eye!


{ This was our final trip moving out of storage. }

I was craving some olive oily cheesy whole wheat pasta with chicken and broccoli, so that's just what I made. Delish!

That's all for now... on to today's post.

Au revoir!

Never Throw Away Your Jeans

I learned this lesson the hard way! A few years ago I was up to a size 11/12 on the bottom due to a long period of inactivity after car accident #1, so of course I purchased some new clothing to fit my new size. Once I was able to exercise again I got back into size 8s and some 6s. What did I do with those bigger jeans in sizes 9 and 11? Gave them away to my friends and thrift stores. At the time it felt great to clean out my closet and make room for the new clothes that actually fit.

After car accident #2, I gained back some of that weight and really wished that I had my old jeans back. I couldn't fit into the smaller ones, but kept them piled in my closet for a future day when I would lose the inches and be able to fit back into them again. Didn't want to make the same mistake twice, you know? I couldn't throw away the small ones if I may fit in them again soon.

I've been working my butt off (literally) with at a 4-day boot camp, at least 3 full T-Tapp workouts per week and better eating habits since January of this year. My hard work has paid off! I've lost 9.5 inches in the last month... and counting... My body feels so much stronger, toned and smooth.

This morning I decided to wear a new top that I got with a gift certificate last weekend, but really wanted some skinny black jeans to go along with it. I tried on the dark skinny jeans that I've been wearing the last few months -- they were too small! So I tried on another pair of my old jeans stockpiled in the closet -- they fit! And another pair, and another pair... pretty much all of them fit me again. Amazing! I'm very motivated right now, but wish I had a new pair of black skinny jeans instead of my old faded pair for tonight.

The jean shorts are another story. I'm not ready to bare my blinding white legs to the world just yet... need a little more time for that one, but again I'm keeping them in the closet.

The only bad thing (or good depending on how you look at it) about T-Tapp is that you drop so many inches that your clothes don't fit correctly anymore and you have to go buy new outfits!

I'm so close to my goal that I can almost taste it. Another month or two and I should be there.

Au revoir!

Meal Planning Monday

It's Monday and my fridge is almost bare. I need to restock on healthy food items while also sticking to a strict budget. Times are tough and I'm trying hard to save up some extra cash to move in May. Pinching pennies is not my forte! I'm a spender... and have a feeling this is going to be a challenge in itself. Seems like all my money goes to food and bills these days with little room for splurges. This exercise is to help me learn how to better budget for food and still eat healthy!

Here's my plan...


Weekly Snacks:

• Boiled Egg
• Chobani Yogurt
• Raw Almonds
• Organic Golden Delicious Apple
• Hummus and Veggies
  

Will only eat these healthy snacks if I'm hungry.


Weekly Drinks:

• Water (2-3 liters/day)
  
• Hot Tea (plain)
• Lemon Water
• Almond Milk

Here's today's example with snacks included to give you an idea of how I may eat. Usually 3 square meals with 1-2 snacks in between.

Monday
Breakfast: Berry Green Monster
Snack: Boiled Egg, Hot Tea
Lunch: Egg Sandwich on 12 Grain English Muffin with Tomatoes
Dinner: Black Beans & Brown Rice with Veggies
Snack: Chobani Raspberry Yogurt

Veggies: 5 servings
Fruit: 1 serving

I want to get at least 5-6 servings of veggies per day and 1-2 servings of fruit.


Tuesday
Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Green Monster
Brunch: St. Patty's Day Celebration @ T-Tapp
Lunch: Black Beans & Brown Rice, Salad
Dinner: Zucchini Crab Cakes & Tabbouleh

I may skip that lunch completely if I'm still full from brunch. May play around with dinner too.


Wednesday - Happy St. Patty's Day!
Breakfast: Green Monster (I really want some Lucky Charms with Almond Milk... and might splurge!)
Lunch: Zucchini Crab Cakes & Tabbouleh
Dinner: Irish Beef Stew


Thursday
Breakfast: Green Monster
Lunch: Irish Beef Stew
Dinner: Salmon Salad and Quinoa


Friday
Breakfast: Almond/Coconut/Cinnamon Oatmeal
Lunch: Salmon Salad and Quinoa
Dinner: Taco Salad (fish, chicken or turkey)


Saturday
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Muffin, 1 Egg, 1/2 Grapefruit, Hot Tea
Lunch: Sauteed Veggies & Quinoa
Dinner: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Coconut Rice & Steamed Veggies


Sunday
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Muffin, 1 Egg, 1/2 Grapefruit, Hot Tea
Lunch: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Coconut Rice & Steamed Veggies
Dinner: Homemade Whole Grain Mac N' Cheese with Salad

Wouldn't this be nice?

Workout

Tempo Lower Body + body brushing.

Killer workout! This one is going back into the rotation. Might do something like this for a full workout routine this week: M - Tempo Lower Body, W - Tempo 2, F - Tempo Lower Body.


Food Log

Dinner

Black Beans & Brown Rice topped with Tomato, Avocado, Garlic, Cheddar and Chobani 0% Plain Yogurt.

Then added 1 cup of spinach and mixed it all together. Looks like the inside of a burrito!

Snack

After my workout I snacked on some Stacy's Whole Grain Pita Chips and 2 Tbsp Sabra Hummus. Sorry no photo, I scarfed them down. *evil grin*

Then shared a Chobani Raspberry Yogurt with Marcel.

As much as I love Chobani, I wish they made the fruit flavors minus the evaporated cane juice. Its an all natural form of sugar, but I'm trying to avoid added sugar as much as possible.

What I'm really craving is Chobani 0% Plain + Barlean's Omega Total Vegan Swirl.


Supplements

nutraMetrix® Glucosatrin Bone & Joint Formula: 1 cap
nutraMetrix® Isotonix Calcium Complete: 1 serving
nutraMetrix® Isotonix OPC-3: 1 serving

Water intake today: 2 liters

Veggies today: 5
Fruits today: 1.5


Now that my meal planning, workout and healthy eats are complete... I'm going to hit the pillow before midnight.

Au revoir!