Hey, hey, hey! Well we’ve been busy livin’ up summer!
Ya know, I really didn’t love summer last year. I’m not exactly sure why. I just remember feeling like we were living in constant chaos and being frustrated that I couldn’t get anything done. I also had a very busy almost two year old that made it very hard for me to be productive!
So far, this year I’m LOVING summer! I think a lot of it has to do with my mindset. I’ve been trying to just let things go a bit, relax and just enjoy the summertime with the kids. The house is more messy than I’d like it to be, I’m a little less productive than I’d prefer, but I’m just having a great time playing with the kids and soaking up the summer! It’s been great.
I’m sure come August I’ll be more than ready for school to start though!
I had a lot going on this past week. I went to lunch at Zupas with some of my longtime friends…
Zupas is so great because every single thing I’ve ever ordered there tastes awesome and there are so many healthy options on the menu! I ordered myself the California Protein Cobb salad (dressing on the side) and the Roasted Veggie and Quinoa soup.
They were both so good!
We also made a quick trip up to Bear Lake this week. It’s a beautiful lake on the Utah/Idaho border that’s about 2 1/2 hours away from our house. My 13 year old son was up there on a week long camp with his Scout troop, so we decided to pay them a quick visit. It was fun!
These pictures are terrible because it was so dark, but I’m sharing them nonetheless. I love my boys!
My poor daughter had to stay home because she had drill team practice very early the next morning. 🙁 It was such a quick trip though, so she didn’t mind.
We got up there right at sunset and it was beautiful! The boys loved throwing rocks into the lake!
My baby could have stayed up there all day long. He was in heaven!
We decided to stay in a hotel that night to make it fun adventure. I got us a good deal on Priceline and the kids loved swimming in the hotel pool the next morning….
It was a fun little “trip!”
I was also able to go on a very nice date with Kev last week. We went to the Peter Cetera concert and it was wonderful! It was at a very small venue and it was really incredible.
When Peter Cetera first came out, he said he felt like he was performing in someone’s backyard! It was a very cool intimate setting, a beautiful summer night and a very romantic date!
I just have to say that Peter Cetera’s voice is absolutely amazing! I could listen to him sing all day long. I love all of his songs! However, I’m not sure what it is, but I can tell he is a bit of a diva, LOL. He just came across a little bit like a spoiled child. It made me a little sad. I still love him though!
Oh, and yes, I did go to this exact same concert two months ago with my friends on our little Girl’s trip to Las Vegas. It was so fun! However, when Kev and I were dating we listened to a lot of Peter Cetera songs and “our song” was I Wanna Take Forever Tonight (yes, super cheesy!), SO I knew we just HAD to go to the concert together. We actually went to a Peter Cetera concert when we were dating too (20+ years ago!)
It was fun and made for a very memorable evening. I’m so glad we went!
Sooooo, it was a very busy, yet fun week. I love living up summer!
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Well, as far as my Oxygen Challenge goes…I’m loving it!
I’m actually in a very good spot right now and I’m determined to see it through to the end! I’ve still been going to my gym, F45 most days, which has been very helpful. I love that they have several classes offered throughout the day and that I can just get in, get out and get ‘r done!
I’ve been grateful that most of the workouts from my Oxygen Challenge can be adapted into my workouts at F45 pretty easily. I usually just stay after class for about 10 minutes and add in whatever moves weren’t already covered in my class. It’s been great.
F45 actually opened a second gym in Utah this past weekend. Kev and I went to the Grand Opening and it was a lot of fun!
It is an absolutely beautiful gym in Lehi, Utah. It’s a little bigger than the gym we usually go to and it’s just such a great facility to workout in! We’ll probably continue to go to our regular gym because it’s much closer to our house, but it was a lot of fun to check out the new one!
I sincerely love F45 guys! I hope y’all know that I only promote companies and products that I truly love.
The workouts at F45 are just so efficient and they pack so much into those 45 minute classes. It is the absolute perfect thing for me as a busy mother! I actually look forward to my workouts and know that I could never push myself that hard on my own.
It’s also such great way to learn about proper weight training. The classes include a lot of traditional weight training moves, but also a bunch of more creative moves as well. The trainers always walk around and help make sure everyone is using proper form and they also help to push you and motivate as well.
I love it so much! Loooooove it!
Okay, I’ll be quiet ’bout that now.
FYI, the Oxygen Challenge workouts are set up in 3 week increments, getting progressively harder as you go along. I’m just starting my third week and the workouts have been structured as follows…
Monday: Shoulders, Abs and Cardio
Tuesday: Legs, Glutes and Calves
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back, Biceps ad Cardio
Friday: Chest, Triceps, Abs and Cardio
Saturday: 30 minutes of steady-state cardio
Sunday: Off
It’s been great!
I’ve been loving the meal plan as well. I’ve been eating a lot of my own tried and true recipes, but have also enjoyed trying some of the new one’s from Jamie’s plan.
Every day, I usually have either oatmeal with a side of egg whites or protein pancakes with a side of egg whites for breakfast. They are just easy, no-brainer recipes and food items that I never get sick of!
I pretty much have a random protein shake every day as well! Lately I’ve just been mixing up my homemade kefir, water, a scoop of protein powder, a spoonful of chia seeds or ground flax seed, a scoop of Super Greens (I’ve been using this one lately and it’s good) and a couple handfuls of Power Greens (spinach, chard and kale from Costco.) Oh, and I add a little ice too. Sometimes I’ll add some frozen berries too. It’s not the best tasting shake in the world, but it’s not too bad either. It fills me up though and it’s such an easy way to get a lot of good stuff in the body.
I usually don’t add a lot of fruit to my shakes because I’d rather eat it on the side. I really love bananas and berries. I love to add them to my oatmeal, protein pancakes, yogurt, cottage cheese or just enjoy them plain. I came up with this little concoction yesterday and it was so dang good!
I just sliced up a banana in a bowl, drizzled some melted peanut butter on top (it was probably about a Tablespoon…I’ve learned if I melt it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so and pour it over the top, it seems like a lot more than it is!) I also drizzled some (calorie free) Walden Farms chocolate syrup on top too. It was so yummy!
For dinner, I’ve just been coming up with all sorts of random things. I’ve tried a few of Jamie’s recipes and they have been great. I’ve also been inspired by some of her recipes, but have just invented my own thing. I’ve also just used some of my old standby recipes as well.
I made Jamie’s simple homemade tomato soup the other night. It was decent, but wasn’t my favorite.
I was supposed to have it with a side of ONE Ezekiel garlic toast, but I got a little crazy and had TWO slices and added more cheese. I had this meal immediately following a high cardio class at my gym though, so I thought it was okay.
I’ve really been trying to make this challenge my own and make it something that I can stick with for the long haul! I’ve learned many, many times in the past that if I get too strict or seek for perfection, I just get frustrated and quit. I have to have some flexibility and make it something that is realistic for me!
I’m actually in a good spot right now and have found a great balance. I’m staying away from most of the sugary stuff out there, most of the junk food and I know the foods that I just have to avoid altogether. I’m just trying to stay mindful and listen to my body. I remind myself every single day that if I want to see change in my body and health, then I have to make permanent changes. I can’t just change things up for a few weeks and then go back to my old ways.
I’m looking at this 12 week challenge as a huge learning opportunity for me. I love it.
Anyway, here’s another random creation I came up with…
I made myself this healthy chicken quesadilla. I made homemade “Taco Bell” quesadillas for the kids for dinner one night and I changed it up a bit for me.
I used a Flatout for the tortilla, added extra chicken, used a string cheese for the cheese (an easy way to know exactly how much cheese you’re using) and a little bit of the homemade taco bell sauce. I topped it with some peach mango salsa, salsa verde, cottage cheese and lettuce.
It was a yummy meal and I was stuffed! I’m sure I’ll make it again!
I also threw this random creation together another night…
These are healthy nachos. I’d made myself some “chips” the day before. I just used some low carb tortillas (I sometimes use Flatouts too!) and made them into homemade pita chips.
It took me two seconds to just throw some of the homemade chips on a plate, top them with some shredded mozzarella and chicken, heat it up in the microwave and top it with some peach mango salsa and cottage cheese.
It was great and so filling!
Here’s another creation…
I just toasted some Ezekiel bread in the toaster, topped it with some leftover Wholly Guacamole (regular avocado would be great on this too!), a couple slices of natural turkey deli meat and a string cheese (that might have been a 1/2 of a string cheese….I can’t remember!)
It was so tasty and super easy to throw together.
Guys, I don’t do fancy ’round here. I’ve just found it’s much easier for me to eat a lot of the same foods often or just throw together very basic and easy creations. The simpler, the better!
Well, I think that’s all I have to share today. FYI, I just started my third week on this challenge and I can already see and feel a difference. I’ve lost about 4 pounds, I feel leaner and not so rolly polly-ish, I have more energy and I sleep better. My appetite has also regulated and my cravings have all chilled out. It’s so great. It’s really amazing how well the body functions when you fill it full of good, real food! I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but the difference really is marked.
It’s always a great eye opener and motivator to me. Well, I gotta hit the hay! ‘Night!
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