It's an experiment

I am excited to try a strict whole 30 cleanse. I am loving my education at IIN I am amazed with what I am learning. And it is time for me to dial it in. I am hoping to stick with it. And use this blog as a place to journal my progress. To sum up bits of my story. I have had a weakness for sweets. And that has been my silent but deadly nemesis. Thats a bit dramatic. But I tell ya. If I start snacking holy hell it's hard to stop. Then I feel riddled with guilt. I should know better! I have been reading a book. "It starts with food". Google it and go get it! It explains cravings, what we need to eat and the science of it all. I will write another post about the book soon. Back to my story. So what is the goal ...... To be Sugar/ grain/ dairy free for 30 days. I will get on the scale and take a few measurements. So I can track if anything changes. Hope to get that done tonight. I am excited. My wonderful husband is going to do this experiment with me. Things I am going to do Drink lots of water Exercise 30 min every day Fermented food/ Kambucha tea daily Green Pastures FCLO daily Lots of green veggies I am very excited about putting the highest nutrient dense foods into by body. I want to honor my temple my body. It deserves great quality food. Stay tuned. Will post tomorrow ....

I ran my first race! Never thought I would run a race...

Now granted it was only a 7K and not even a half marathon.  but still a 7K is the longest distance I have ran at one time.  You can read a bit more about it here .    I used to hate running.  I am not a tiny thing and running used to feel jarring on my body.   My "girls" would bounce everywhere.  My lungs would burn.   but I gotta say....  learning how to run with good form and efficiently makes all the difference in the world.    Have you heard of POSE running?   check it out!  its amazing, my body does not feel that jarring impact and with a great sports bra my "girls" are feeling better too. 

I was not sure what shoes to get as there are TONS of different styles of running shoes, So I went with a brand that Pose site and other crossfitters recommended....  Inov8's

these shoes are awesome!   Super light, great for a regular Crossfit WOD as well.  With the minimal sole.   Oh I am in love with them!       I had a great race, got a new PR by 6+min!    cant wait to run again.     I highly recommend try new things reach for those goals. If you never try they will never happen and if you try you might even surprise yourself.     GROWING STRONGER!    It also helps to surround yourself with positive people,   I feel so BLESSED to have such awesome friends in my life!   YOU GUYS ROCK!   So whats next Half marathon, full marathon?.........

No Sugar day 2-4 ...... HOLY CRAP WHAT WAS I THINKING !!!!

Seriously....  I have been wondering every day,  WHY am I DOING THIS?   I don't have too...
The real challenge is being out and about...  running errands, going to Sams Club or the grocery store or even the gas station.  There is TONS of "snack crap" everywhere you look! 

So this morning, I was laying in bed talking to my husband and myself about this whole experiment.  Saturdays are often a cheat day, and I LOVE chocolate croissants or any pastry.  And man , I wanted something bad this morning.   As I was laying there asking my self if I really wanted it..  and YES, I really did want it!  They taste so good.  but then my next thought was that, I really dont like how my body feels after I eat them..Its true, that queasy stomach blah feeling.  My next thought was... but, its my routine..  it's what I do on Saturdays..   then I thought holy crap..  Am I going to give in to my whims because Its my habbit??????   Am I that weak that my habbits dictate what I am going to do...  SHIT, I did not like that thought at all! 

So my Hubs and I were clarifying what I am doing and why...  SO this is my list of what and why.

WHAT EXACTLY AM I COMMITTING TO

• I want to eliminate foods that are simple sugars that dont offer any nutritional value(candy pastries, cookies and the like) this also means no more Carmel High rises from my favorite coffee shop.  (God, Help me!)

• I want to eat a strict Paleo diet: Lean Meat, veggies, good fats (I am not going to eat much fruit as they are high in fruitose - they will be my occasional treat)

WHAT I WANT TO GET OUT OF IT!

• to detox my body of simple sugars
• to truly eat Paleo for 30 days 
• and see how my body feels, looks, performs

I have to say,  that I had a bit of a melt down, real craving some "snack crap".  But I am REALLY happy and proud that I did not cave in.   I had a wonderful breakfast of sausage, eggs, red peppers and a little bacon.  and it was DELISH   this is similar to what I had for breakfast 

I feel great!  Clear headed and full...  it was a tasty meal that was TOTALLY PALEO and sugar free!

Some of the adjustments that I will be making...  instead of my Carmel Highrise I will be having black coffee with almond milk and cinnamon.   and that is VERY tasty.  

 

For my treats I will have fruit and if I need a chocolate fix I will have a lara bar

I feel empowered and excited that I have a plan to survive and thrive this experiment.      3..2..1.GO!

Day 1 of my 30+ SUGAR FREE days.

So I have been learning and "dieting" for years. Looking for that perfect formula for me. I do believe I have found it. And it's eating Paleo. A Paleo diet is eating lean meat, veggies, fruit, nuts and that's it. NO dairy. NO grains. NO pasta. NO rice.   
A Really Great book about this is called PALEO SOULTIONS



by Robb Wolf

And I have to say, I feel real good when I eat this way. No emotional roller coaster in the afternoon. I have great energy and stamina. But on wheekends my husband and I often have a cheat meal or day. So I have decided to go at least 30 days without a cheat meal. I want to see how lean my body gets, what my energy levels are like and who knows what other benefits their might be.

So today was day 1: and it's going great. I was out running errands and had to stop and get gas. I was a little tempted to get a doughnut as they are one of my favorite treats and heck who would know if I did. Well, I would! So no sugar treats today.
I needed new work pants as my size 12 where falling off me. Literally. I have not done much shopping and quite honestly. I hated those moments when you saw a cute pair of pants grab them to try on. But when you are in that cold little room trying them on. And you can't pull the pant leg up your thigh because these are slim or skinny fit. Oh that is the worst feeling ever. so today when I grabbed the pants I liked I grab a few sizes. As I was unsure what my size was. The size 10 was loose on me so I grabbed the size 8 and those were a little loose too. So I grabbed the 6! And I got them on!!! Not it's a little tight but I know I will lean out and they will fit !!! Holy moly I never thought the day would actually come again. I am doing it! Shedding that excess weight that felt miserable and unable to do the things I wanted to. And I did it by eating Paleo and doing Crossfit. Growing stronger. And loving it.
I will add a couple pictures as soon as I can. I also will track my weight and body fat % Gotta start somewhere :)

Breakfast: left over chicken veggie soup
Snack: beef jerky and Lara bar
Lunch: corned beef and spinach salad
Diner: steak with mixed greens red bell peppers cucumbers and avocado

It is a journey

It's been a while since I posted. And I have mixed Feelings about that, I can't believe how fast time has flown by. I had gotten pretty distracted by some other areas and realized that
I missed my blog. It can be very intimidating Writing a blog, what will people think? Will they Like what I say?, is anyone reading this? But today, I dont care. I am writing my journey Of discovering my optimal fitness potential.

What does that mean?? Some days I am not sure, ToDAY, I do know. It mean what I eat is my fuel For my body, my health, my ability to cope with everything I have and need to do. And when I Eat real, natural foods(Paleo) Meat, veggies, Fats. I feel more Prepared to handle life. When I fall off the Paleo Wagon, I am more moody and have less tollerance and less strength. So this chick is riding that Paleo wagon :)

It also means using my body working out physical using my muscles, increasing my heart rate becoming stronger. Moving faster. Moving more. I also think having great friends who support you in reaching your goals. Is vital to achieving them. Last, taking the time to rest and recover. That can be one of the hardest. Our society leads us to believe we must work harder and more and faster to get where we want to be. But personally I feel like that plan will eventually fail

Having, good food, exercise, great support and getting rest. That is my formula.

The Greatest FOOD book is NOW available!

IT'S OUT! 

 

I am SO EXCITED!   The guy who wrote this book is SO SMART! 

Besides being so intelligent he has a way to explain 

things in very simple ways. 

So you don't have to be super science guy to 

understand how and why this great way of eating works.

I am VERY EXCITED TO GET MY COPY IN THE MAIL! 

I would love to hear what books has inspired your improved 

health, diet, and/or fitness.

HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!

If I had to take one supplement.. It would be Fish oil

It does not sound that tasty..  but I really think that this stuff is a super supplement. 

I first heard about it when my husband and I went to Vancouver to spend time with some other trainers. We met this awesome woman, Kelly Frankson She is an amazing athlete and Olympic lifter.  
She also knows so much about nutrition and how what we eat makes such a difference in our performance in life and during our fitness training.  

So Some of the things I learned about Fish oil...  

• It is rich in Omega 3

• is a healthy fat.. and our body needs good fat. (we even need it to loose weight - if that's a goal of yours)
• it helps reduce inflammation and recover from workouts  

Here is a great blog that has a great article by Ryan Andrews all about the science and benefits of Fish oil.   I hope to learn all this better so that I can say it as eloquently as these smart people.. but in the mean time I am SO THANKFUL that they are out there.  

ohh.. that voice in my head....

I tell ya..  that voice I can sometimes hear in my head...  the one that tells you, " I am so tired.  I will do it later"  OR "I can't do that, it's to hard"  OR   "What if I fail?!"   Then when we listen to that voice.. and then we feel guilty for listening to that voice...   Oh, that feeling just SUCKS! 

I am here to say..  you might hear that voice.  but REMEMBER you are stronger!  

I had a hard workout last night.. I had to run 3 rounds of 1000m and do 100 squats. Both of those are large feats.  When I was running my second 1000m the thoughts began, " I could just walk..  or heck stop".

but then I had another thought, I WANT TO BECOME STRONGER, FASTER, LEANER!  So I kept pushing.. and you know what.. IT FELT GREAT!   I FELT ALIVE! ( it was really hard to breathe) but I WAS DOING IT!  

This is an amazing book that I read.   What books have you read that have changed the way you look at things?  I would LOVE to hear about them.

When what you want seems so far away..

It seems to me that many and maybe most people want
to to be health. And what that means  to each of us is different.   Some want to be able to complete an UltraMarathon, 
others just want to be in a small pant size.   
That is where I was!   I felt miserable in my body. 
I did not like sitting in a chair and feel the roll around my middle. 
I really did not like running with my son in the backyard

and feeling all that jiggle or being out of breathe so quickly. 

So I decided the desire to feel better or even try to feel better became more dominate than the desire to be sedentary or to grab that bag of chips and self medicate with unhealthy food.  my husband and I found  P90X Plus - Workout DVD  and starting doing something.   It was really great doing it together.  It was still very hard.  There was many days when I tried to talk Luke out of doing the workout, I was really tired or it was a bad day.  But thankfully one of us was driven enough to say, 
WE ARE DOING THIS WORKOUT!

We starting having days were we felt our pants getting looser or feeling stronger. 
and that is great motivation to keep going..  we then found CrossFit
 and fell in LOVE!   these workouts average 7-20 min compared to P90X was 60-90 min a day. 
Being a busy mom and working and family stuff going on, hitting a workout within 30 min
 has much more appeal for me.  and interestingly enough
I was even getting more results. 
but I think that is because I did more workouts. 


I am getting a little away from my topic, and really
I just want to say. 
Look for your goals and dreams and even if they seem so far way you can get there! 
YOU CAN GET THERE ONE BABY STEP AT A TIME! 

Tonights Diner was.. Chicken ala.. Duncan

Cooking healthy does not have to be hard, I think this took me 15 min to put together.

I had no idea what I was going to make for diner tonight. 

so I took out some chicken thighs..  

while I imagined what I was going to make.

I saw my beautiful herb garden and became inspired... 

To make a Chicken with sweet basil, cilantro, rosemary.. 

My son LOVED it.  So now I am calling this dish 

Chicken ala Duncan. 

I went and cut a bunch of the sweet basil, cilantro and rosemary from my

herb garden and cut it up and covered the chicken in the pan.

Then I added some delish chopped tomatoes with lime and cilantro.

I never saw this kind before but boy was it tasty. Put that on top of the herbs.

Then I added a can of tomato sauce..

I baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour 20 min.

Oh My Goodness!   It smelled SO GOOD in my house! 

I was nervous.. I was not sure how this was going to taste. 

but it was DELISH!

Its FuN and exciting trying new dishes or even making them up. 

Most of the time you get good results. 

Sometimes it's time to order in. LOL

HAPPY HEALTHY COOKING!

Strive for your goals sometimes the road gets bumpy.

I have been thinking about my fitness goals.  We all have them. 
If you have had a baby, or you want to get married, you want to run a marathon, or you just want to do something that you have not done yet. Write a book..  I guess goals are not limited to physical.. but since that is my passion I am gonna focus more on that. 

IT HARD!


Its hard to get up and go practice.. or keep to the diet..  
Sometimes, I don't wanna.  I want a cupcake or I want bacon!  
but when I have goals to eat clean, Paleo, that is NO SUGAR! well any cupcake that does not have sugar would be a better paperweight than cup cake..  so CRAP!  You have to keep choosing in your mind that the goals you want are bigger and more important than that quick gratification of that treat.. or skipping the workout!  
So if you have a slip up and you eat that cupcake or ditch the workout..   8-( 
    that does not feel good. but giving up will feel worse..  

so forgive your self have some grace and compassion.. 
and get your ASS to your next workout and give it 100%
because YOU CAN get to your goals. 
One step at a time! 




Today is a fitness rest day, (well I might go for a mile run) but that's it. My triceps are so sore and my right arm is so twitchy it is driving me nuts..  my hubby said what do you expect.. but still I want my cake and eat it too. I want to work out hard and have my body feel fine after. :-)   LOL

The past two days have been super hard and intense workouts.. 

Day one 

and

Day two was 

15 rounds for time,  

one round of

5 pull ups

10 push ups

15 squats

next round of

5 pull ups

10 dips

15 sit ups 

alternating each round

GOT IT DONE IN 23:12

I am watching the World Cup soccer/football USA vs England match as I type this and it is very exciting.. 

I don't fallow this sport but I get that this only happens every four years and that this is the most popular sport in the whole world.  

It's kind of like the Olympics and more..  it seems like everyone has played soccer/football at some point in their life.. not everyone has participated in an Olympic sport.  I have to say..  

I LOVE watching people strive for their dreams..  weather it is to win the WORLD CUP  or to learn to do a pull up, run a mile, loose a couple pant sizes. 

 We need to keep striving for our goals.. 

SO GOOD LUCK TO THE PLAYERS

GOOD LUCK TO YOU IN YOUR GOALS 

I would LOVE to hear what your goals are and how it going.

My thoughts for the day

What do you think?

Meal in a meatball .. Paleo stlye

I made a super easy meal for super tonight and it took me 15 min maybe 20!  

And its a Meal in a Meatball!

I love meatballs!  I thought I like to sneak veggies in there so the kids get more veggies..  well I went all out...  these have, spinach, mushrooms (don't tell my daughter), green peppers, carrots and green onion.

• 2 lb of lean ground beef
• 1lb of ground turkey
• 1 green pepper
• 1/2 bag of baby spinach
• 1 cup of baby carrots
• 1 package of mushrooms
• 2 stalks of green onions

Put all the veggies into the food processor to chop it all up 

then all veggies to meat and mix throughly

I also added

• 2 eggs to told meatballs together better
• 3 cloves of garlic, cuz I LOVE IT
• handful of sweet basil, rosemary and cilantro from herb garden- yum!

Form mixture into balls, I like the size of large golf balls

put into pan, oh heat oven to 350 degrees

and I like to pour some tomato sauce over the meatballs, not tons but just a bit!

BAKE IN OVEN about 45 min 

THEN ENJOY!

Quick easy lunch

Looking for a quick lunch idea..  here ya go..   

 This is a simple Chicken salad. 

What ever chicken breasts that you have cooked

I think this has two in it.  and I took a fork and pulled it apart

I like that pulled apart pieces vs. chopped up pieces. but do what ever you like

Two stalks of Celery

two carrots chopped fine

a green onion stalk chopped fine

1/4 cup dried berries this one had blue berries, crasins, cherries 

1 tsp of mayo

seasonings I used were a blend for chicken and poultry, that had dried peppers

onions, garlic, salt and pepper.   but use what ever you like. 

I am in love with cold chicken salads, their are so many options out there..  What are some of your favorites? 

I'd love to hear

Fast food Vs. Home cooked food

I suppose some people will not like or disagree with that statement..  but hey, you entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine..  I used to think that there is not enough time to cook a good, healthy meal.
or that my kids don't like any veggies.  But I got sick of feeling crappy, fat, like I am on an emotional roller coaster.  and I had to do something about it.   I got sick of that roll in your middle that you can feel when you sit in a chair.  YUCK!   I WAS DONE!  

There are a million ways to "Diet"  and Some work well, Paleo diet...  others work not so well..  


For me it has been an evolution..  started out by trying to eat better.. and by that I mean being conscious but really tried.. but not really very effective.    Next my hubby and I started P90X P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program - 13 DVDs, Nutrition Guide, Exercise Planner
And with that came a food/diet guide and menu.  and I have to say that it was very effective and complete.  The meals in there were delicious.   I still use some of them today.   and they break the 90 days into 3 groups.   First 30 day..  very lean, NO PASTA, BREAD and the like.   the next 30 day introduce some whole grains into your meals..   We never felt hungry, actually we were eating all the time.   For me it was to time consuming, prepping all the ingredients and measuring out the specific portions. My hubby was one portion, I another and the kids a third.



I was getting ready for the weekend and thinking what we have planned and what to eat. and I have to say, I wanted to cook.. I did not was to budget for pizza or going out.  Now don't get me wrong I LOVE to socialize.  And try new places.  but when I think about eating a meal, I want something that is flavorful, has good veggies and lean meat.  What mainstream places offer that?  NONE, that I have found.   I have found that I enjoy prepping veggies and talking to the kids about what veggies I am using..  It feels very good to me to be the one who is preparing the food that my family will be putting into their bodies.   The meals are SO tasty..  they fill you up and keep you full with less cravings.

REALLY..  How do you feel after you eat a burger from a fast food place?  Its greasy, and filled with other chemicals to preserve things.. and your body was not made to ingest that stuff.    So after you eat you feel, blah! and constipated.  and then two hours later your hungry again.    NO THANK YOU!
I AM DONE!   I AM COMMITTED TO EATING AND FEEDING MY FAMILY AND MYSELF THE BEST THAT I CAN.       HOW ABOUT YOU?

Another reason for being a good cook

I have fallen in Love with Cauliflower

thanks to freefoto for image

I used to see cauliflower in my grandma's salads.. and it is a dense and a blah veggie taste..  But it has so much potential..   It has a high potassium content, Potassium is an electrolyte that gives your heart the energy it needs to work.. and that a real good thing!  more nutrition info  So, in a nutshell.. it is good for ya..

This ball of a veggie can be turned into some delicious Faux Mashed Potatoes Super easy to do!
And they are a great creamy texture.

So then when a friend of mine was telling me that she loves to bake Cauliflower in the oven.  I thought
REALLY?!?!   Hmmmm..  lets give this a try..  So I washed a head of cauliflower and cut it up into bits.


I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees.  I poured some Olive Oil over the cauliflower and sprinkled some garlic salt and what ever herbs that sounds good..  I had a herb blend of, thyme, rosemary, sage and pepper.   and bake in the oven for 20-30 min.   OMG!   YUMMY melt in your mouth! DELISH!

Breakfast... Eggs scrable with mixed veggies

I made this for my hubby for breakfast...  

Egg White and Egg Veggie Scramble 

          \

• 5 egg Whites 
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 jalapeno..  hubby loves heat :-)
• 1/2 c. chopped mixed veggies

We had someone give us a jar of maranated veggies.. ( cauliflower, peppers, onions, carrots)
My hubby had put the veggies in the food processor and chopped it all up...  this is what's left.

but I have to add.. this is a great way to add veggies to egg scramble..  YUMMY. 

With eggs.. I wanted a bit more carbs..  so he got a Mango!  OMG   DELISH so tasty and juicy!  Also some almonds for good fats.

This picture looks so good!  I just had to add it :-)

MIA ... So SORRY..

Hello..  and I want to deeply apologize..    I am really liking this blogging and the connections you
can make is just amazing.  I am also very excited that my little Blog is apart of Foodie BlogRoll.

I have a great camera that I want to use for posting my pictures of the yummy foods I am making.

But now I have to learn how to have this camera talk to my computer..  So there is a bit of a learning
curve..  but I think I am getting it.

I am very excited to blog about some great things I made...

• Meatloaf with peppers and spinach ...even my kids ate it!.. 
• egg bake with salmon and green onions 
• chicken stir fry

One of my intentions with this blog is to talk about TASTY HEALTHY food!!
that is EASY ON THE BUDGET!     SO PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT...  or a Question.. 
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS..  

Healthy living! ~Malia

Tonight's diner......
Bison meat balls with spinach

• 2 lb ground bison 
• 1 brick frozen spinach 
• garlic 
• onion flakes or whatever you have 
• a dash of worcestershire sauce 

roll into balls and bake in the oven 350 for 25-30 min

I then added them to a pan on the stove and added a large can of crushed tomatoes
rosemary, Salt and Pepper and a can of Coconut Milk.   mixed all together.   Voila

And faux mashed
(cauliflower mashed)

Large head of cauliflower cut into med pieces and put in a pot to boil
once soft drain water and mash away.   You can also toss it in a food processor, that works great too
I added some butter, garlic and salt and pepper to give it some flavor.