It's not about the food....my Special Ops Mission One

For my first Special ops mission over at Operation Fat Blaster
I am supposed to document the "thing" that is standing in my way of reaching my weight loss/fitness goals.

Well, I have several "obstacles" to dodge every day along this journey that I am taking. Food cravings, passing by the fast food joint on my way home from work in the evenings, junk food that my 20 year old Son brings into the house, the huge bag of plain M&M's that my dear hubby PT Keeps stocked in the pantry, the Nurse's lounge at work...is always ladened with fattening, unhealthy foods, the list goes on and on.

But I think that the very hardest thing that I have to overcome and find a way to not let stand in my way is parties. Yes, parties. My hubby and I love to entertain and be entertained and have and are invited to lots of parties with our dear friends. What goes with parties?? Lots of FOOD! And lots of Drinks! It is so hard to stick to my eating plan when out with friends and surrounded with delicious party food and drink.

I actually got to the point where I would turn down invitations cause I just didn't trust myself and as well as my intentions were,still end up taking a bit of this and just a taste of that, and just a sip of this, and a spoonfull of that...what would that hurt right? Wrong!

I am re-thinking this whole process. This whole thing with food being the center of every party. It's not about the food! It really isn't. It's about PEOPLE! Loved ones and dear friends getting together to spend time with one another. Sharing joy, laughter, frienship, fun....not about food! So, that's my mission....not to shy away from parties and miss out on the fun and being with my dearest friends by taking the spotlight off food and on to the people.

Getting Extreme Thursday!

Hey all! Hope you all are having a great week. Can't believe tomorrow is Friday already..where does the time go?

I've not missed a workout all week. Monday I did PC1, Tuesday did Burn it off Cardio, last night...I did PC2 with SR.

Today I am off work, woke up at 6:45 am and was getting extreme with Chalene by 7:00 am. 45 minutes of intense cardio alternating with wieights. It's a tough workout. I have so much more energy first thing in the morning compared to working out later in the day...it's unbelievable just how much.

I waited about 1/2 hour after my cardio before fueling up with meal number uno... green protein shake. I was out of bananas so I used a peach as my complex carb choice and it was ok, but definetly not as good as it is when using a banana. That cardio sure does get my appitite up. I'ts just about time to eat again and my belly is growling...haha.

I need to go to Trader Joes sometime today. I'm almost out of Almond butter, ezekiel cinnamon raisin sprouted bread, and agave nectar, and I am completely out of greek yogurt and non fat plain yogurt. I also want to pick up some Blue chips and a few other things...like bananas...LOL

Here are a few food pictures that I've taking over the past couple days.







Went shopping at World market the other day and picked up a couple bars of their Scrumptious Dark chocolate to have a smidgen on my laxed day. Now, I usually don't go the 99% route, but thought I'd give it a try out of curiosity. So, I bought one of each...the 82% that I normally get, and the 99%. What did I think about the 99%? I couldn't do it. Actually had to spit it out. Too bitter for me. But.....check this out....



Don't remember which blogger put this little idea into my head, but I put a few of the 99% Dark chocolate squares on top of my morning oats and Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmmm, divine deish!! They melted into the oats and were perfect!



Thanks to my blogger buddy Alison over at Mama's Weeds
I had these little buggers as my snack...Medjool dates stuffed with crunchy Almond butter....can you say died and gone to heaven? Yes, they are THAT good..thanks Alison!



Made up a bowl of fresh homeade Guacamole...it was so good, I even used it as a dressing on my salads for a few days....Avacado, fresh chopped tomatoes, Fresh squeezed lemon juice, sea salt, diced red onion...left nice and chunky just the way I like it....so good!


For dinner the other night, I cooked up a pot of Pepper Steak...which is PT's favorite meal. I used a very lean Sirloin steak with all the fat trimmed off and sliced it into very thin strips.

First sautee some fresh chopped galic and ginger in a little EVOO and sea salt and fresh ground black pepper for a couple minutes being careful not to let the garlic get too brown... then put in the thinly sliced Sirloin steak and stir fry till no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside.



Then saute some Sliced Green peppers and sweet onion for a few minutes in the same pan that the meat was cooked in...



Meanwhile...take a couple TBL of Corn starch and put in med sized bowl..stir in Low sodium low fat beef broth, water, and low sodium soy sauce until corn starch dissolved...set aside

After the Peppers and onions are sauteed, put meat back into pan and pour in the corn starch beef broth mixture and also dump in a couple cans of drained, sliced water chestnuts and cook over med heat till sauce thickens. Top with sliced green onions. I know that brown rice would be ideal, but I just love this meal over steamed jasmine rice....voila finished product....so yummy!!




Ok, time to re-fuel..gotta keep my metabolism reved up and roaring!

You all have a fabulous day!]

Keep it clean
~Linda

Happy Hummus!

Hey there! Happy Hummus! That's what was written on this box that I recieved this morning!




What is inside you ask?


The awesome Abby from I Have Issues had a fabulous hummus giveaway and I was chosen as one of the radom winners...whoot whoot! Thanks so much Abby! I'll for sure be digging into these today! Three jars of Wild Garden's Hummus dip in Traditional, black olive, and Sweet 2 Pepper. All natural, no preservatives, no cholesterol..yea baby!


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Thank you all so much for all the wonderful Anniversary wishes for Patrick and I :D

I wanted to share a couple of beautiful shots I took on our way to our celebration dinner Saturday night. Arizona skies are amazing during sunsets!






So, I got up early and SR and I got extreme doing Push Circuit 1. Last week of the push phase then it's on to the Lean phase. Today I worked Bi's, Tri's, and did Standard squats, Heel squats, and single leg squats...yowzers!! And if that wasn't enough, push ups at the very end...when our muscles have already reached fatigue and failed. I'm pretty wimpy when it comes to pushups. I still can't do them on my toes, but when I first started Chalene's program, I couldn't even do not 1 pushup...even on my knees.....now I can do 6 with perfect form. Now SR, she can pump out 15 perfect toe pushups....the little show off...haha!

I made a yummy green protein shake after the workout that was delish... Whey isolate protein powder, banana, ice, usoam, and a few huge handfuls of spinach.



Getting ready in a few minutes to have meal number 2 which will be....oatmeal with blueberries, Bee pollen, and wheat germ and 4 hard boiled egg whites for some lean protein. Guzzling the water today too... :D

You all have a wonderful day and keep it clean!!
~Linda

Today is a great day

Hey guys! I worked 24 hours in the past two days, so I've been MIA just a bit..lol

Today is mine and PT's 21st wedding anniversary. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in love with me :D He is my best friend, lover, and soul mate forever and always.

So, let's see..what's been happening the past few days. As you know, I had Wednesday off so I spent the day with my 10 month old GD. We had a great "just us two girls" day! I gave her a bit of a green monster (minus the protein powder), and sprouted bread spread with AB for the first time and she was digging that stuff big time! After my DD picked her up, and SR got home from work, we hit PC2 and burned it up!

Thursday, I ended up working my normal 12 hour shift. Eats were clean, but I didn't get my workout in. I had every intention of doing it after work, but I was soooo exhausted, that I decided to do it on Sunday instead of using that day as my rest day.

Friday, I was on call for work, so got up early in the wee morning and SR came over and we did PC3. Chest, back, and a butt load of Sumo squats holding mega weights. My inner thighs are thanking me for those today let me tell ya..haha! After working out and a quick shower to wash the stink off...lol, we headed down town to check out one of the local Farmers market. Picked up some good looking organic produce and browsed the tents looking at everyone's treasures. Picked up a Casaba melon..one that I've not tried before. It's still got a bit of ripening to do but check it out, it's a beaut! The girl said that it was a toss between tasting like a canteloupe, Honeydew and a cucumber. I'm anxious to dig into it.

After browsing the farmer's market, we stopped for lunch at a little place called Grandma's kitchen. I ordered a cup of veggie soup, a veggie melt and iced tea with lemon. I actually took a pic of my sandwich...haha. First time I've ever done that in public. People must have thought I was nuts....hahahaha! Didn't turn out all that great..lighting was all wrong, but here it is nonetheless :D (It tasted ok...nothing to write home about :/ )



As soon as we finished eating lunch, I was called into work so we had to get going. But it was a nice day all in all.

This morning, I got up early and got in Thursday's workout that I missed...did Burn interval cardio routine. Now, just enjoying the day with my sweetie. Thought I'd better check in before another day went by.

Here are couple pics of clean eats I've had the past two days...



Check out the size of those Organic Jumbo Raisins! They are so good!


Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Keep it clean!

~Linda

Raising the bar: Operation Fat Blaster!

Hey hey my peeps! Happy humpday to you! Can't believe that this week is already half over. I was planning on working today, but wasn't needed, so got the day off. Always good to have an unplanned day off work right?

With the Chalean Extreme program...I have 5 scheduled workouts each week (3 weight training and 2 hight intensity cardio) and 2 rest days...with one of them being optional where I can thow in some extra cardio if I choose..which I usually do. But yesterday I woke with such severe doms that I decided just to let my body rest and recover some. They are still sore today, but much better. I soaked in the hot tub last night and boy that helped tremendously. I haven't had doms that bad in a long time...it's a good thing..really, no matter how painful....lol I upped almost all my weights in my last workout, so I expected it.

So, today is PC2...to be done late this afternoon or early evening. SR has early workdays on Wednesdays, so I wait for her so that we can workout together. I don't mind working out alone, but it is more fun with a partner. We really do push each other to realy "bring it"! No slacking aloud....ha!

Eats have been really clean this week. No further slip ups since over-doing it on Sunday. I have been eating every 2-3 hours throughout the day and each meal has included a lean protein and complex carb and I have been getting in veggies at least for two of my daily meals. Water has been right on...drinking a minimun of 100 oz each day.

Here are a few pics of some of my clean eats...in no particular order....for your viewing enjoyment...teehee ;)

3/4 cup of nonfat cottage cheese topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries and a drizzle of blue agave nectar




Tried a new water this week. Metromint...spearment. Minty fresh :D



Yea...I think these should last me a few days....lol



1 cup Non fat plain yogurt topped with strawberries and blueberries with a nice healthy spoonful of Trader joes unsalted raw crunchy Almond Butter




Chocolate Mint Cliff Builder Bar....20g's of protein baby!






Ok, so you may be wondering why I called this post "raising the bar"? Well...I decided to join up with Operation Fat blaster and kick my motivation up a notch! Join forces with us and Check out Michelle's Secrets of a Former Fat girl's blog Here to join! We're on a mission to blast the fat!

Keep it clean!
~Linda

Preparing for the clean week ahead

Hey everyone! How are you all doing? Is it Monday already? I had a very nice weekend, and I hope you all did too.

Yesterday was a rest day for me, no workout. I know my body needs these rest days and that they are just as important for my progress as the actual workout days, but I gotta say that yesterday, I kinda missed working out...HA! Never thought I'd ever hear THAT come out of my mouth :D

My dd and dgd came over and spent the day with us. We swam, bbq'd, watched a movie, swam some more, went to the farmer's market, grocery shopped, came home and fixed dinner. Got to say, that it wasn't the best day for me in the clean eating department. I had a couple extra things I shouldn't have. I am allowing myself one cheat meal each week, but I kinda went a little overboard. Can't be doing that or I'll start wheel spinning...and that will not happen. So, back to the task at hand.

Got some great items at the farmer's market yesterday and also at the grocery store. My fridge is stocked and ready to rock it out this week in the clean eating department!

I roasted up some chickpeas yesterday afternoon. These ones were spicy onion flavor..nice and crunchy and tasty little devils they are. My friend Neat turned me on to them. Ever try them? Here's the how to...

First gather your ingredients...
*Olive oil spray
*Extra virgin Olive Oil
*Can of Garbanzo beans
*Sea salt
*Onion powder
*Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and prepare baking sheet by spraying lightly with Olive oil spray

Drain and rinse off Garbanzo beans then blot dry with paper towel. Put in large mixing bowl. Pour about 1 TBL or so of EVOO over beans then stir to coat well.



Spread on baking sheet then sprinkle with Onion powder, sea salt, and cayenne pepper



Place in pre-heated oven and roast for about 45 minutes...stirring halfway through roasting time. I like to roast mine a little longer because I like them nicely browned and crunchy.



Cool completely, then store in zip lock bag



Don't they look scrumptious? Reach for these instead of chips when you get the munchies :D

I've already got my workout in for today. Did PC1 this morning. Worked Bis and tris... with lots of weighted squats and lunges...done very ssslllooowwwly...I might add :D

Had this as my post workout fuel-up...Ice, Unsweetened almond milk, Whey protein powder (26 gms), 1/2 large banana, 2 handfulls spinach, 1 TBL ground golden flax seed....

Cheers!

Sensational Saturday!

Hey there!

Hope you all are having a fantastic weekend. Filled with fun, laughter, love, and friendship!

I ended up having the weekend off, love that :D

My day started about 8 am...I slept in a little this morning. I had a cup of coffee out on the patio with PT. He got up at 5ish and was working in the yard doing some weed pulling ect. It was already well in the 90's by that time. We took a dip in the pool to cool off a bit. I love swimming early in the morning..so refreshing.

SR was coming over about 9:30 to do our cardio workout. Today is Burn it off. Since I'd already been up for over an hour, I knew I couldn't workout on an empty tank...if I'm gonna do that, I need to do it within 30 minutes of waking up.

I fixed PT some pancakes and sausage, but I had a fiji apple (my fav!) spread with Tj's raw unsalted crunchy AB and drank 25 oz of water..perfect preworkout fuel up :D



9:30 am...hit the gym for the one and only Burn it off..the words INTENSE and EXTREME come to mind to describe this workout. I dug deep and gave it my 100%. Sweatin bullets when we finished. I can tell my cardiovascular system is responding nicely to my workouts.

After working out, I waited about an hour to refuel....then had a Green protein shake. I really wanted to add a nana to the shake, but I'm out of nanners, so I used Blueberries and 1/2 peach. It was very good and gave me a nice level of energy.

That kept me full and satisfied for about 3 hours, and then it was time for my next meal. I had a bowl of oatmeal with Bee pollen, wheat germ, and ground flax seed and then had 4 hard boiled egg whites.

Late aftenoon, we decided to head out to the movies with a couple friends. I remembered Brandi's instructions on how to make your own healthy popcorn and decided to give it a try. It turned out fantastic. I used EVOO and sprinkled with sea salt and also a tiny bit of garlic powder. Click Here to check out Bran appetit and get the instructions.




No more fattening, butter loaded, salt laddened movie theater poppcorn ever again! Believe me when I say that this was just as good. And I knew exactly what was in it.. :D Thanks Brandi!

I also made up a bag of trail mix..using raw almonds, walnuts, dark chocolate covered espresso beans, sunflower seeds, pepitos, jumbo raisins...devine delish! Doesn't it look yummy??



My movie goods..plus a bottle of water not pictured ;)



Just kicking back the rest of the evening. Kept the rest of my meals very simple. Non fat yogurt with some berries for a light dinner.

Exercise rest day for me tomorrow. Planning on hitting up the farmer's market that I never got to do today and also some regular grocery shopping and a Trader Joe's pit stop..lol

Keep it clean!
~Linda