Clean Eating

Yep, another post about food; I’m just as excited as you are!

The past couple of weeks I’ve been getting tired of my regular weekday recipes & I decided to do some Googling & find a few more things to add so I’m not looking for unhealthy alternatives, like eating out & stuffing myself with slices of pizza. Pizza is my ultimate weakness. Chocolate is also. French fries can be added to that list too. Peanut butter. Chicken wings. My cheat list is extremely long so I’m just going to stop there because I’m getting hungry.

So during my searching, I stumbled across a website that created a Clean Eating Challenge that consisted of 2-weeks. The website provided you with a grocery list, food prep instructions for each week & recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks eat day. The goal is to eat 5 small meals a day. Normally this kind of challenge isn’t uncommon & I’m sure most of you have seen something very similar. This one caught my eye more than most because of the detailed instructions they give you. Anything that’s going to tell me exactly what to buy; exactly how to prep everything for the week & incorporates leftovers from the night before I’ll give an A+. Let’s face it, not all of us have time to prepare a 4 course meal every night for dinner when we finally get home. My normal end of day, walk through my front door is 8/8:15 p.m., on a good day – sometimes it’s later. By the time I shower & start to unwind, I want something that’s going to be quick, easy & also healthy because by then I’m starving. Having a plan for each meal during the week takes the guessing game out of the equation – it also helps me from staring blankly in my refrigerator & wondering what I’m going to eat.

I’ve always had people ask me about my nutrition & what I eat on a regular basis. As I said previously, I used to see a sports nutritionist when I started getting more into crossfit. I no longer see her but with the nutrition tips & knowledge that she gave me I don’t feel like I need to. Usually you hear about crossfitters sticking to the most common diet, Paleo. I have never followed Paleo or have ever done a Paleo Challenge, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work for you. I just know that I need more carbs & natural sugars in my diet in order to perform. Do what works for you. I have incorporated Paleo recipes into my eating plan in the past, present & I’ll continue to do so in the future if it’s one that I really like - there’s no reason not to. Most of the Paleo recipes that I have used are from Nom Nom Paleo. I’ve liked everything I’ve made so far.

If you already know Paleo isn’t for you & you want to just focus on a clean eating regimen, check out the Clean Eating Challenge. You might love it. I’ll be making some of the recipes that caught my eye throughout next week & plan on posting my reviews here. If you decide to take the 2-week challenge, I’d love to hear about it & see which recipes you liked more than others. Contact me at any of the above social media links. =)

Broke

I know I can’t be the only person to say or complain about this, but is it just me or is everything expensive?? I usually hit that mid-month mark where I log into my bank account & am asking myself “Where the hell is all my money?!” Yes, I know I live in Northern Virginia & that I’m in the single income category but still. Sometimes it really sucks – no that’s wrong, it sucks all the time. I consider myself a responsible person & every once in a while I might have that moment of weakness where I buy a few things that aren’t necessities but come on, I’m not the only person that does that & something’s gotta give. Not only am I broke, but it always seems that when you’re low on funds that’s when everything else starts to fall apart - you need new tires for your car, you have an unexpected trip to the ER & your insurance doesn’t cover the entire thing so you’re forced to pay out-of-pocket…you know all that stupid shit. I’ve also found it to be true that when you have money in your pocket & you want to buy stuff you can’t find a damn thing to spend it on. Yet when you’re broke you find everything that you’ve ever wanted. This really needs to be the opposite. Do you remember when you were younger & your grandparents would say, “I remember when that would cost a nickel!” Well, at 32 years of age I can officially say that I’ve turned into my grandparents - Me: “How much? I remember when these were $1.00!”

Maybe one day I’ll be able to not worry about the funds in my bank account, but until that day comes it looks like I’ll be continuing with my frugal ways & being thankful that I have a full-time job with a steady paycheck. Like they say, it could always be worse.

Gotta love ecards.

Tradition

After losing my brother, Ben, a few years ago I decided that every year on his birthday I would pick out a movie that was showing at the theater, that he would have wanted to see, & go watch it. He loved movies & his favorite thing was going to the theater to watch them. When we were growing up there was a theater in Morgantown, PA that he would go to because he got in for free; the only person that had to pay was the guest he took with him. He would spend most Saturdays watching 2, sometimes 3 movies in one day. In-between they’d break for lunch at the food court & then head back in for another showing. I would go with him depending on the movie, but sometimes he’d choose scary movies & I don’t do well with those.

Along with starting this tradition came the movie watching rules that Ben implemented; these rules were for everyone not just family. You were allowed to get snacks but you had to eat them before the movie actually started - eating during the previews was acceptable. You were allowed to talk while the previews were showing but once the movie started there was no talking. Asking questions were frowned upon; if you get lost mid-movie because you went to the bathroom, well that’s just too bad you should’ve held it. He took his movie watching seriously. =)

Due to being sick the week of Ben’s birthday, I went last night & watched Big Hero 6:

Yes, an animated movie & he would’ve loved it. We were always suckers for animated movies. One of our favorites is Bolt. There were several parts of this movie that played perfectly toward Ben’s kind of humor & I pictured him laughing hysterically next to me. I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it, especially if you have kids.

Always remember the good times, never the bad. Sister misses you Brother.

Focus

As I was scrolling through Instagram this morning I came across the following meme that was posted by Jackie Perez (@jackie585):

This caught my attention & is something that I need to tell myself on a regular basis. I’ve always compared myself to others, I think most women do. If you haven’t noticed, we’re highly competitive. We might be even worse than men – I take that back, we are worse than men. Women compare everything; whether it’s looks, clothing, significant others, athletics, employment, money…the list goes on & on. When I was younger, even in my late 20s, I constantly compared myself to other women. That all stems from a lack of self-confidence though, which for me at that time wasn’t very high. It wasn’t until finding crossfit that all of that changed. I no longer feel intimidated by other women. I’m usually the one that points out to my guy friends a woman that’s attractive. I’m also that person that will say, “Those leggings look awesome on her - she has a great ass.” I’m also one of those people that gives a compliment on what others are wearing; if I like it, I’m going to tell you. I know I love the feeling when others compliment me on things that I wear, so why not spread the love around - you never know when that one compliment will totally change someone’s shitty day.

Getting back to crossfit, I’ve found myself focusing lately on what other athletes are doing, how they’re improving & what their PRs are – not on my own shit. I think working through an injury, which I am at the moment, can steer your mind in a negative direction. Instead of working through the WODs & possibly PRing, you’re having to scale most movements & find a way to WOD with minimal pain. That can kill your momentum & leave you unmotivated; couple that with coming off a week long stomach bug equals a shitty combination.

So today I’m going to “focus on my own shit”. I’m not going to worry about what everyone else is doing. I’m going to focus on the now. Success will follow. 

Down for the Count

For the past 5 days I've been fighting a stomach bug. Being short staffed at work due to others being ill hasn't really helped my healing process. I'm sure you'll agree that being less than 100% & working while you feel that way just sucks. Totally sucks. It makes it even worse when you deal with the public, which I do. My patience for people is minimal & practically non-existent when I'm sick. Instead of being in bed resting, covered in warm fuzzy blankets & sleeping my life away, I'm listening to an idiot on the other end of the line feeding me attitude about something I couldn't care less about. I'm sure you'll also agree that during this time of feeling crappy & possibly collapsing any minute - everything that can go wrong does go wrong. It ends up being the worst day ever. I had several days like that this week. Unfortunately. Thankfully it's finally the weekend & I can try to kick whatever this bug is that's still holding on for dear life. Maybe I'll even get to step foot in my box (a/k/a gym) again. Having several crappy days in a row & not being able to work out pent up frustration can do some damaging things, at least for me it can. Working out helps me keep my sanity & you all should be very thankful for that. =P Alright, enough venting. To end, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year - I hope 2015 brings you health, wealth & happiness. =)