Happy Thursday (a.k.a. Weekend Eve!)
First off, I want to tell you guys that I’m officially on Instagram now!
For some reason it intimidated me, so I’ve been avoiding it for a while. However, now I LOVE it and I’ve found it’s pretty easy to use too. I still don’t know quite what I’m doing though. Maybe you guys can teach me a thing or two about how to use it!
Anyway, you can find me here if you so desire.
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I’ve really been enjoying my “ultra healthy” diet this week. It’s tough, definitely takes discipline, but I love it anyway.
I also feel really, really good!
I didn’t eat very well last week. I wasn’t terrible, but I was pretty lax. I definitely ate too much processed food and enjoyed sugar a little too much. On Saturday night, I felt pretty crappy.
I couldn’t decide if I was getting sick or if my body was just mad at me for being a slacker. I felt achy, rundown, tired, unmotivated and very “blah-like.” However, that “blah-ness” is what motivated me to shape it up BIG TIME this week!
Funny thing is….I feel great now! I don’t feel tired, achy or “blah-like” at all! It’s funny how that works; feed your body crap=feel like crap, feed your body well=feel well!
Pretty basic concept.
I also have to mention that on Sunday and Monday, I had terrible headaches! I hardly ever get headaches; maybe once every few months. Well, these headaches were killer and I definitely think they were a withdrawal-type symptom as my body got rid of the crappy food in my system.
Totally weird…and a little freaky.
With that being said, I love good, clean food and love how I feel when I eat it!
Oh, and I still love crappy, sugary, fried, processed foods too, dang it. My body doesn’t like them though. 🙁
Anyway, moving on…
I started my morning off with the YUMMIEST breakfast! I wasn’t feelin’ the “veggie vibe” this morning so I just scrambled up 1 egg + 4 egg whites with some ham and topped it with a little cheese. I also had half of a sweet potato (topped with cinnamon) and some grapes on the side.
I loved this breakfast SO much and it only took me about 5 minutes to prepare. I was stuffed afterward too! Oh, and I calculated this breakfast to equal 306 calories, 23 carbs and 29 grams of protein. Awesome.
You definitely get a lot more bang for your buck with good, clean, real food.
I went to the gym yesterday morning and grabbed a quick, easy breakfast as I ran out the door…
A Granny Smith apple and some unsalted nuts. I ate half of this before my workout and the other half afterward. It was perfect.
I also got a great workout in. We did a whole bunch of deadlifts and my hamstrings are definitely feelin’ it today! We only did 80 pushups (we usually do 120+), but this time we did the pushups very slowly. We counted to 2 or 3 as we went down and then counted to 2 or 3 as we went back up. Make sense? We also obliterated the abs. Man. We did a bunch of different kinds of crunches for 7-8 minutes and then ended with 100 bicycle crunches. Awesome.
I also took another picture of my fun class.
Do you see that cute old guy in the back? Well, he is darling. He comes to most of the classes I go to and he always works so hard! I’m so inspired by him. He also helps everyone put the benches away when the class is over. What a sweetheart.
Age is definitely not an excuse to not exercise!
After the gym, I ran over to Walmart with my two littlest kiddos. The Walmart we went to happened to have a Subway (as in sandwiches) in it, so we decided to get some lunch too.
I ordered a footlong ham sandwich for my kiddos, but they didn’t come close to finishing it. We brought the rest of it home and they had it for lunch today. Bonus.
Yes, my five year old doesn’t quite know how to smile. 🙂 He looks like he’s in pain.
Oh, and do you see that guy in the background giving us a weird look? Yes, that’s pretty typical for my crazy, photo taking, blogging life, lol! He’s probably thinking, “Man, that chick really gets excited about Subway!”
I’m sure he thought I was completely nutzo when I took this selfie too…
Yes, as a blogger you sometimes just have to “swallow the pride”, take strange pictures and move on. 😉
Anyway, I ordered a Tuscan Chicken salad topped with some Balsamic Vinaigrette at Subway and it was great.
Next time, I’ll order it with the dressing on the side though. There was a little too much on there.
Later on, I took my oldest son to get a haircut. He was so shaggy and in desperate need of one, but for some reason he didn’t want a haircut!
I just don’t get it.
I tried to take a “before” pic of him, but he was being a little stinker…
Lovely.
However, after bribing him with ice cream, he agreed to get it cut AND let me take his picture. Oh, and yes I told him he was totally spoiled…
And a little bit bratty.
Oh and folks, my baby boy is starting to look like an old man now. I’m really not liking it.
I didn’t know what in the heck to fix for dinner last night, so I decided to go with an old favorite. I made Kev’s mom’s recipe for Hamburger Potato Casserole, except I subbed lean ground turkey for the hamburger. It’s one of Kev’s favorite meals.
It’s not totally healthy though. It has cheese and Cream of Whatever soup in it, but I subbed my homemade version of Cream of Chicken soup and it turned out great.
I served it with some corn and fruit. Here’s my plate…
I debated if I should eat it because there is a miniscule amount of flour in the casserole (in the cream of chicken soup recipe), but I decided to eat it anyway. Just to recap…I’m not eating grains until Thanksgiving. Oh, and technically corn is a grain, not a vegetable, but I ate that too.
I’ve done really well and have steered clear of oats, wheat, rice and flour (except for what was in the casserole), so I felt pretty good about it.
Oh, and my kids all LOVE this recipe! My 10 year old had the leftovers for breakfast this morning and my 5 year old asked to have the leftovers for lunch today, but they were all gone!
I won’t share the recipe with you guys today, but I’ll share it soon.
Oh, and I’ve been enjoying some yummy snacks lately too. I LOVE Chocolate Protein Pudding and last night I had it topped with some pecans. It was awesome!
A couple days ago I mixed some raspberry Chobani yogurt with some light cottage cheese and topped it with some unsalted nuts and Craisins. I loved it so much!
Yes, I’ve been missin’ my grains, but I still love all the food I’ve been eating!
Even though I’m not eating grains, I’m definitely not on a “low-carb” diet. I’m getting plenty of carbs from fruit, veggies, yogurt and things.
I haven’t been feeling that “low-carb diet slump” at all. Yay.
Well, I have lots to do and not enough time to do it, so I better run! Have a wonderful day!
Questions for you guys!
- Have you ever felt withdrawal symptoms after cutting out sugar, carbs or processed foods?
- What’s your favorite form of exercise?
- Do you have teenagers that don’t like getting their haircut?
- Any yummy healthy meal or snack ideas?
The Chocolate Protein Pudding looks delicious!! I think I need to make some tonight for a snack. 🙂
I hope you love it! It’s really yummy and so easy to throw together.
OMG I cut sugar 12 years ago!! And I have never ever looked back! It’s crazy! I am so happy to read that you’re feeling amazing by the way and that chocolate pudding, YUMMMMM! 😀
That’s amazing that you cut out sugar 12 years ago! Wow. I really, really love the chocolate protein pudding. Yummy, easy, healthy and sweet…what’s not to love? 😉
I definitely get headaches when I cut out crappy foods…especially if I’ve been eating super unhealthy lately…so I definitely feel your pain!
I think my favorite form of exercise is going for a running outside…it’s so much easier to stay motivated for me doing that then running on a treadmill…I get bored with treadmills! I also loving doing the Jillian Micheals 30 day shred video…each level is only 20 minutes and it’s an easier way to get in a good all over body workout when your short on time.
My stepson actually loves getting haircuts…but he’s 4…and easily bribed with the salons lollipops…haha…he has to get his hair cut quiet often because he has a huge calic that sticks up on his head…just like his daddy!
Some of my favorite snacks are Greek yogurt w fruit and nuts mixed in, and rice cakes topped w laughing cow cheese wedges, almond butter, or a tbsp of dark chocolate chips melted on top! Lately I’ve been trying to do like you have and I’ve cut out all grains until thanksgiving. I’ve also been trying to a stear clear of rice and oats too unless I absolutely think I need it…and no dairy…it hadn’t been bad but times like these definitely make me rack my brain for crazy concoctions I eat so I don’t get bored with it. I actually just had the biggest sweet tooth so I got a tbsp pecans and mixed it with a tbsp almond butter…microwaved it for a few second then topped it with a tsp of pomegranate seeds…totally random but so yummy! 🙂
I totally agree with you about the treadmill! YUCK. I love all the things you top on rice cakes. They sound wonderful! I’m also lovin’ the nuked pecans with almond butter and pomegranate seeds too. It sounds delish!
That chocolate pudding with pecans sounds heavenly!! Pecans are my favorite nut. That is too funny about the guy in subway lol! Oh yeah your body was mad at you and having withdrawals for sure. I’ve read that happens a lot with detoxes. Glad you are feeling better now. 🙂
Pecans are my favorite nut too. They are so yummy and made that protein pudding extra yummy!
My oldest son hates getting his hair cut but I think I’ve finally found someone that he feels OK with. He is in Jr. ROTC this year and they wear uniforms once a week. Part of the uniform check is hair so every 4 weeks he has to have it cut – fun times!!!
Wow, my son would definitely not love getting his hair cut every 4 weeks! That’s great your son is in ROTC though. Very cool.
I love that you referred to cute old guy as “darling”. Please tell me you use that in real life because if so I already love you!
It’s been a challenge for me to figure out my relationship with processed foods. If I have the time and energy I’m all about cooking clean, healthy meals, mostly because I like the taste and how I feel. But I don’t get too worked up if I have a craving for a cooking or there aren’t any “clean” options on the menu. Stress is the number 1 cause of my stomach issues and just general sense of wellness so as long as I’m relaxed about it, I’m usually pretty good 🙂
Ha ha, I do use the word darling all the time! Too funny. I like your outlook on processed foods. I really try to keep my diet healthy most of the time, but definitely splurge now and again. Little splurges and sweet things make me happy. 😉
That older gentleman is inspiring! There is no excuse not to get active. Have fun with your Instagram. I’m still adjusting to Twitter. Lol.
Ha ha, I still feel like a novice on Twitter too! I guess the best way to learn is to just jump in with both feet, right?
Oh yes…and I get coffee withdrawals. Very bad headache without my java
I was addicted to diet Dr. Pepper many many years ago. I definitely had withdrawal symptoms when I stopped drinking it. Crazy!
Oh my gosh that older gentleman in your class is so cute! I hope I’m like that when I’m older! 🙂
I totally agree. He is the sweetest man and such an inspiration!
I’m going to go the easy way and say my favorite type of exercise is “group.” I can’t pick just one. They all have amazing things to them! Also,I totally understand what you’re saying about the slow motion pushups. We do those in PiYo Strength and they are awful! Stupid slow motion diamond pushups make my triceps feel like they may explode!
Have a blessed day friend!
I agree…I love any kind of group exercise! It helps to keep me motivated and keeps my mind off of how hard the workout is. Man, diamond pushups are SO HARD!! I can barely do any of those.