RemakingRacheal #4

"I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back."

-Abraham Lincoln

Things that made me smile today:

1.) A call from my grandma.

2.) A break through with my story.

3.) A 2.5 mile run and P90X yoga (Okay, this didn't make me smile while I was doing it, but AFTERWARDS I smiled pretty wide).

4.) My blueberry cheesecake shake.

I have come to the realization, as simple as it is, the habits you don't think about are the easiest to maintain and the hardest to break (like eating dinner in front of the TV? Guilty.). FOR instance, yesterday marked a week without soda...and I didn't crave one for the whole 7 days...and by the time I did realize I haven't been drinking soda (which put it in my mind and made me "sort of" crave one again) I had gone so long that I had a pretty good record going and didn't want to start over; it is added motivation to avoid all that sugar.

It is really hard for me to get into the habit of moving. I sit/stand/stare at and work up my work out to be so much more than it is...by the time I actually get around to doing it I have built it up to running up Mt. Everest and lifting a semi. Once I start moving I appreciate it isn't as bad as I make it out to be, that I actually enjoy working out, and I'm so much happier afterwards. It's all in my head. It's one thing to say, I believe in loving myself, and another to act on it. I love myself so I need to make life changes...and the biggest ones are mental...and the ones you don't even realize you are doing.

Tonight I cooked dinner (Yay! A break from the shakes, which, by the way, I am working on...no more Vile Greenies). I made a chicken, veggie whole wheat pasta dish with a vegan "alfredo" sauce. I added a bit too much garlic and didn't have a couple of the ingredients (mainly a Thai paste).

 The Veggies (Broccoli, Peas, Spinach)

My ingredients to make the sauce (yes, that is not vegan butter but I'm not vegan so it's okay).

FINALLY whole wheat ELBOW macaroni!

I think I got too excited on the noodles...too much macaroni.

End Product. Conclusion? Ken enjoyed it...I thought it was okay. I doubt I will be making this again, no matter how healthy.

Are you looking for a low calorie, super yummy, sweet, shake? TRY this! It's a blueberry cheesecake shake.

Ingredients:

3/4 c Frozen Blueberries (though I use fresh)

3/4 c Skim Milk
1/2 c Cold Water
1/2 c Cottage Cheese (low fat)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Cinnamon-ground
4 tsp splenda (though I will be using 2 tsp sugar, I hate artificial things)

Calorie Count: w/splenda 100, w/sugar 132 (give or take a few blueberries)

I want to start drinking these in the morning so I need to add some extra components. I don't like having just one type of fruit, so I'm going to add strawberries, swap the 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of milk, and add some tofu for protein.

<3

RemakingRacheal #3

I woke up this morning, SORE, grabbed one of my Purple Power shakes (SO GOOD), drank half, walked my dogs...and looked at my TV...and waited...and waited...and thought, "I can't bring it today, I was crazy to try P90X"...and sat and waited some more. Around 1:00 I decided enough was enough and yes, I WOULD bring it. Even if I couldn't do much I could do something.

So I popped in Cardio X and was surprised at how much I was able to do and how much sweat I worked up...I'm still not able to everything (it drains me completely!) but I did most of it and I gave it my all. Go me. I now have a buddy on the Team Beachbody website...my Dad! That's right, he does P90X too and was a major motivator for me to start.

My eating has been really clean and healthy. My body is starting to respond to this: My skin is clearing up, I am no longer tired in the afternoons, and I just seem to feel better (less headaches). As much I as dislike my Vile Green Smoothies, they are doing some amazing things for me!

HOWEVER tonight I got to eat real food...food that wasn't so good for me...because I went to a babyshower. And you know what? I had some, I indulged, but I didn't have that much (I had mostly fruit and veggies...but also some other yummy things). The longer I go without junk, the easier it is to resist it. My contribution was a fruit pizza. It turned out MUCH better than I thought it was going to. Everyone LOVED it. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
Premade Sugar Cookie
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups white chocolate chips
Strawberries
Blueberries
Kiwi
(or any fruit you want)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread cookie dough to cover a pizza board. Cook the cookie dough for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool. Combine the heavy cream and white chocolate chips, melt the chocolate chips (gradually! Only heat in microwave for 15 seconds at a time...heat as often as need until the chips are soft and forms a liquid). Combine the melted chocolate with the cream cheese in a bowl and blend well. Spread on top of the cookie. Design fruit. Enjoy. Super Easy. I want to find a healthier version...but I was short on time and so I didn't want to experiment TOO much.

What's on the menu for tomorrow night? A vegan alfredo whole wheat pasta (we will be adding chicken and broccoli, peas, and spinach). I am using the vegan recipe because the sauce is much more healthy than a traditional alfredo sauce. Hopefully it comes out yummy!