Elf for Health

The eating season has officially arrived and I think I have a pretty good plan for how to survive the holidays.

I definitely splurged this Thanksgiving, but I have done a lot worse in previous years and even got in a workout on Thursday and ran once will at my mom's. So, I'm calling it a win! Now onto the hard part...surviving the weeks of temptations leading up to Christmas!!

So, I have signed up for a healthy living challenge for that began on last week. Elf for Health is the brainchild of bloggers Nutritionella and Lean Green Bean. Everyone gets paired up with another "elf" to help support them during this season. If you are interested, I think signup opens back up for the last four weeks!

Last week's challenges:

Monday: Go meatless (Easy and did it Tuesday as well! One of my go dinners to take to work has become a burrito bowl with black beans, brown rice, veggies, salsa and sometimes guacamole.)
Tuesday: Send a handwritten note (Sending a note to my grandma.)
Wednesday: Try a new workout (While my husband was playing volleyball, I tried a tabata-like ab workout from Nutritionella.com. Hard, but good!!)
Thursday: Meditate for 10 minutes in the morning (It was nice to take a few minutes to chill and stretch before my run.)
Friday: Make your food colorful (i.e. all different kinds of veggies... I did the best I could with what we had at home. Make a veggie-tastic salad with spinach, peppers, mushrooms, beans and tuna. I also worked in a banana in my oatmeal and apple as a snack.)

The weekend challenge was to clean out your closet. I have already done that since most of my clothes are too big for me now. I have finally hit my goal weight (58 pounds down!) and have moved on to maintaining now. Anyway, I have a bag of clothes set aside to give to family or a friend who can wear them.

So, far this week we have been focused on fiber... 42 grams on the docket today!! Click on the Elf for Health logo if you are interested in joining for the last two, two-week sessions.

Wishing everyone a healthy holiday season!!!

Beth :)

Pumpkin crazy

Baked oatmeal!!

So, I have been meaning to share my pumpkin baking adventures in several posts, but times has gotten away from me. I think pumpkin things are seasonal even through Christmas or you guys can at least get ideas for next Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkin baked oatmeal

I took a recipe I found via Pinterest and tried to make it lighter. I think I succeeded! The recipe was for Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal... yum! I eat lots of oatmeal for breakfast and I was looking for a way to try something new and pumpkiny.

I changed the recipe in a few ways:
• Used unsweetened applesauce
• Egg whites
• Light soy milk
• Reduced sugar craisins
• Cut it up into six servings

My only complaint is that it wasn't pumpkiny enough. It tasted just fine - and I ate it all week - but a tad on the bland side. The second day I ate it for breakfast I sprinkled some extra cinnamon and nutmeg on my serving that helped. I made the whole thing on a Sunday evening and just reheated a piece each morning to have a nice warm breakfast.
Click the link in the title for the recipe I used!

Pumpkin oat bars!

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Pumpkin oat bars

Recently, I also made some pumpkin, oat bars from Greenlitebites.com.

Next time I will grind up the pumpkin seeds... they were two big and chewy. I may have gotten the wrong kind of seeds. The blogger used pumpkin seeds that were called pepitas and look smaller than what I got. Also, make sure to freeze what you may not eat in a week. Mine started to get a little moldy after a week. That is the price you pay when you are making things from scratch!

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Pumpkin bread (Also from Greenlitebites.com)

Very simple and very tasty! Three ingredients: Spice cake mix, can of pumpkin and two egg whites. (Note: I buy the carton of liquid egg whites for baking and cooking.) The batter was quite sticky so be prepared for that. I baked it in a bundt pan instead of loaves and used the cake box instructions as a guideline for time. Be sure to check often you do that...mine was done early!

Not exactly health food, but it was tasty and hit the pumpkin spot. I think once a year I can handle that!!

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No-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake (Skinnytaste.com)

This turned out great! I had some pumpkin leftover from my other adventures and didn't want to let it go to waste. I had plans to make this for Thanksgiving, but that was three weeks away. So, I took a chance, made it and stuck in the freezer until I needed it. I think the crust was a little soggy due to the defrosting process, which is my only minor complaint. The taste was great though and the filling was very light... not sure if the texture would've been any different without freezing involved.

Happy baking!!

Beth :)

Healthy tips

I have lost over 50 pounds now and have made some lifestyle changes to get to that point. I thought it might be good to share some of those changes with you guys.

Here's my top 10:

1. Limit my Starbucks addiction: This had financial and waistline benefits. I was good about getting nonfat or skinny lattes. I even got the tall (or small in Starbucks lingo), but it was things like a pumpkin scone that would drag me down nutritionally from time to time.

2. Make working out a priority: Wake up, eat, change clothes and then work out. That is how my mornings typically go. If I don't workout shortly after breakfast than there is a good chance it won't happen. The same thing happened when I worked a "normal" schedule. I packed a gym bag and went directly to the gym from work.

My food so far today.

3. Keep track of my food intake: It first started with just typing up my food diary for a personal trainer that I had for a couple months. Then my resolve to do it waned after I stopped paying for the trainer. Then I wanted to ramp up my weight loss and I knew I needed to fine tune my diet. So, I found a free app My Fitness Pal which also syncs with a website (click here). You can track your food, exercise and weight loss. It helps a lot... I still use it. It helps you figure out a calorie goal and I use it to plan my meals for the day.

4. Splurge: I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but it is true. Having a piece of cake every now and then won't hurt you, but the key is going back to eating healthy. Don't just say screw it and continue to eat badly because you have "screwed up" your diet for the day/week. I also say make sure your splurges are for a good reason or at least good quality. If you are craving a hamburger don't blow those calories at a fast food joint... make it worth it by getting a really good burger. Or I chose to eat a tasty mandarin orange cupcake with cream cheese frosting and eclair cake for my birthday (thanks Janet and mom!) made from scratch. I am not going to splurge on store bought sheet cake. I think splurging makes eating healthy feasible for a lifetime.

5. Healthy swaps: I eat brown rice, wheat pasta, light soy milk, ground lean turkey and use plain greek yogurt in lieu of mayo. Simple swaps in recipes make things healthier.

Overnight oatmeal!

6. Measure, measure, measure: Portion control is key - especially with calorie dense items like nuts. Almonds for instance can be a healthy snack option. I can eat several portions easily in one sitting and that is approaching 500 calories instead of the better 150 calories for a snack. Now, I break out the measuring cup every time.

7. Trying new things: My husband and I are somewhat picky eaters but we are trying our best!! I have seen recipes for overnight oats on several websites and have tried it out. I am a fan! We bought a box of Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) from Trader Joe's it is on our list to make soon.

8. Food quality not quantity: Go for whole, unprocessed foods when you can. Making it from scratch may take a little longer sometimes but it is so much better for you. And you can always make ahead and freeze to make it easier on work days.

My food for one evening at work.

9. Eat more often: I eat all of the time. I am sure my family and co-workers may think I am    

ridiculous. When I leave for work I pack one meal and 1-3 snacks. It is not unusual for me to eat at least two snacks (in addition to my three meals) a day. Sometimes three if I am hungry.

10. Drink water: I don't drink enough, actually. But I always have it with me in my re-usable water bottle. Water is also calorie free!! You can definitely torpedo an otherwise good diet with sugary drinks and soda. My next food goal is cut out my one diet soda a day.

I hope this tips hope those of you out there who are trying to eat healthier and just live a healthier lifestyle in general!!

Beth :o)

Overnight oats

Night before

 I have been following other healthy eating blogs over the last six months or so to get new food ideas and exercise motivation/tips. One thing I have seen in a couple of places (Fannetastic Food and Hungry Runner) is overnight oats. I was intrigued and finally decided to try it last week.

Overnight oats is basically oatmeal from scratch where you just mix it up the night before and put it in the fridge so the oats soak up the liquid. Some people just eat it cold the next morning, but that kind of weirds me out. So, I just heat it up in the microwave the next morning.

The key I have found is finding the right amount of liquid so it is the right consistency to your liking. I first did it with 1 cup of milk, but that was too much liquid and a little too milky. So I went with 1/2 cup soy milk and 1/4 cup water... pretty good. I have done this a couple times. I did make the mistake of doing it too early one night and the liquid had too much time to soak in (7-8 hours in the fridge is good).

The next morning!

I think it has turned out pretty well and without all the sugar that comes in instant oatmeal! I am looking forward to trying new combinations... the possibilities are endless!!

Here is what I have been doing:

1/2 cup of Silk's light vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup of rolled/quick oats
1/4 cup of water
1 ripe banana sliced
Healthy sprinkling of cinnamon
Little bit of nutmeg
1/8 cup of raisins
1 tsp. of vanilla extract

Microwave for about 2 minutes in the morning and done!

Does anyone else have any tips or other good overnight oat combos?

Beth :o)

So close I can taste it...

I am not sure how much I have talked about my weight loss journey on here. I started the blog toward the end of it. I used to weigh myself every week. As my weight loss slowed I have only weighed myself every few weeks or so. And let's be honest, I put it off sometimes when I know I ate too much the weekend before. Anyway, I just weighed myself recently and I am less than two pounds away from my goal!!! A goal at one point I thought was unattainable... a long shot if you will.

I am the lightest I have been in my adult life and probably in the best shape I have ever been in. I am also almost at the 50-pound weight loss mark. Hard to believe I have come this far. It has taken a lot of work and dedication. It does help quite a bit that my husband has been a huge supporter and going along the journey with me. He has lost almost 100 pounds now!!

Our before picture... April 2011.

A little history... from college up until I was about 23 I was heavy. Looking back on pictures, I was not just overweight, but fat. In January of 2005, something clicked and I started working out for the first time in my life and really focusing on eating more healthy. I curbed my soda, fast food and candy addictions, and managed to lose almost 60 pounds. I pretty much kept that weight off until my husband and I started dating. Let's just say his love of burgers, wings, fries and beer rubbed off on me and I gained back about 30 of the pounds. But I can't just pin it on him either... I was making worse and worse food choices on my own and my workouts had become few and far between.

In August 2011, my husband got a wake-up call from his doctor. At 29, he was put on a statin for high cholesterol. My husband was determined to get off that medication - and he did. That wake-up call spurred his weight loss and mine. None of my clothes were fitting and I was unhappy with my weight. I was determined not to go back to shopping in the plus size section, but those were really the sizes that fit me. I just couldn't bring myself to buy those 18s to have something to wear. Now, I am wearing a 12... sometimes even a 10, I think.  To be honest, I am not sure what size I wear these days. I have been putting off buying new clothes until I get close to my goal. Well, I think it is safe to say that I am there.

Anyone ready to go shopping?! 

Beth :o)

Kitchen adventures

This blog has typically about running and weight loss, but both of those things are fueled by good nutrition. So, I will be posting occasionally about food. Enjoy!

I am not really one for experimenting when it comes to cooking. I have certain things that I know how to make and family recipes that I have written down. The problem with some of the recipes I know and love is that they are not all that healthy. I decided last week to try out a healthier recipe for pasta salad via one of my favorite healthy eating blogs, SkinnyTaste.

The July Fourth holiday and the heat wave got me in the mood for food that was not hot! ;o) Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the pasta salad that I made but to the right is the pretty picture of what it should look like from skinnytaste.com!

I took the opportunity to try it out on my in-laws and I think it turned out pretty well. A serving is only supposed to be about 115 calories, so that sounded great to me.

I did make some adjustments to the recipe and have ideas for what I want to do next time. I bought all of the ingredients according to the recipe except I used rotini wheat pasta which we already had at the house. I think the wheat pasta worked great in it.

The recipe called for red wine vinegar, but I think next time I will use balsamic vinegar to add a little more of a punch to it. I always have that around (had to buy the red wine vinegar). And I think less mayo and more greek yogurt would taste just fine.

We had it as a side for pork, but I think it would great for a cookout as well. Leftovers were just as tasty - if not more - and I made it a whole meal out of it by adding a pouch of Starkist tuna one day for lunch.

I count this experiment a success!!