A slave to the kitchen

Today I began preparing meals for the week. That way, I don't have to worry about cooking all week and everything is all planned out. Just what I like... planning! Each meal can work as a breakfast, lunch OR dinner. That seems to be the way Paleo works. Since most everything you'd typically eat for breakfast is out of the picture here, with the exception of eggs and a few other things, you have to be creative.

Today I made: Butternut Squash Lasagna, Mexican Beef Stew, Banana Bread, Eggs to go and Banana Ice Cream. All Paleo recipes.

I was totally 5-5. Everything I made came out excellent! I was pretty surprised... and somehow I managed to spend about the same amount of money I would have spent making weight watcher meals for the week. That makes me very happy! I'm starting to really like almond butter and almond milk. Who would have thought?!

2/5

Today is the end of week 2 of Kettlebell classes as well as day 5 of Paleo.

I think I'm doing well so far.

Yesterday however, I was talking to a friend about different kinds of chocolate and what we got for Easter. Of course, this made me crave chocolate, which is very un-paleo. I recently joined a Paleo support group run by one of the members of the gym and found a recipe for Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

• 1 c almond butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c cocoa powder
• 1/4 c chocolate chips (highest % cocoa, but NOT baking chocolate (bleh))
• 2 t vanilla extract

The first cookie was a shock because I could immediately taste the unsweetened cocoa and realize right away sugar is missing. But, after that, they actually started to taste pretty good and are pretty filling. Sugar is optional if you absolutly can't go without it, but for my 30 day challenge, I'm trying to do everything right.

After all, this week I lost 3 pounds and I feel trim and see the beginnings of "tone". It's almost a shock to my mirror. More trim then I ever have felt, but I've also done KB every day this week except for today and yesterday's workout was a bitch.

21-15-9 (That's three rounds. One round 21 times, one 15 times and one 9 times)
Knees to elbows
Turkish Get-ups
Sit-ups
Kettlebell swings
Push ups

BTW, I've done more pushups and burpees in the last 2 weeks then probably my entire life. It makes me wish I could repeat the grade school fitness test again. Sit and reach? I'd blow them away.

Tonight for dinner we hit up a "make your own burger" joint in Federal Hill. Overall, a great place! You can easily make a $20 burger with no problem. What did I make? Well, I had a bison burger with guac, jalapeno pepper slices and salsa on a lettuce wrap. I think that's as close to paleo that I could possibly get, but then again, I'm a beginner. I suppose it all depends on what it was cooked in too. Regardless, it was excellent!

I did have a minor setback when I got home which included the ears of a chocolate bunny, but it wasn't much at all and I feel like a little treat would be a good thing. How am I feeling? The recent acne issues I've been having are going away. I do seem to hit a mild lethargic slump in the afternoon, but it picks back up at night. Remember, no caffeine either. I haven't had soda OR coffee since Monday.

Pretty. Impressive.

I can say that I don't think my friends are enjoying this right now :-) Why? Simply because I went out with them and didn't drink. Alcohol in moderation is key and really, the only thing I can drink is wine. I can have one beer or one shot, but wine seems to be more approved... and sometimes when I drink with them, the word moderation isn't even part of my vocabulary. What's that? 

What's up for the weekend? A 14 mile run and KB class in the morning. After that... cooking up 3 Paleo meals for the week and 2 snacks. I'm going into week two with gusto!

It's Thursday

Today is Day 4 on Paleo and by mid afternoon I was a little lethargic. Not too sure why. Could be a few reasons. One being - a total diet change and two - going back to work after 10 days of Spring Break. I completely messed up my routine over the last 10 days off and it's been a challenge getting back in.

This morning I had an IEP meeting that I felt could go one way or another. The first meeting I had with these parents in the beginning of the year was rather hostile. They were dealt a bad hand last year and they started the new year off rather guarded. However, their child has made amazing progress this year and I wanted them to know it. The big topic at hand happened to be her placement for next year. We are no longer housing the next step of the program she's part of (Together at 5, inclusion for 5 year olds) so our other options were to place her in another school with that program, place her in a self contained environment or try and retain her so she'd stay with the same teachers, same building and continue to make excellent growth. Mom and dad were very pleased with my suggestion (to retain her, self contained can't be an option at this time) and left the meeting with happy smiles. Whether or not the retention can actually occur, we're waiting to find out. Regardless, her parents have ended the year on a different note. That makes me happy.

Tonight I tried a new Paleo recipe. Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I left out the optional sugar portion to see what they'd taste like without it. Ingredients were minimal, but turned out great. Not as sweet as I would have liked, but certainly satisfied the chocolate urge I had going.

Keep smiling everyone! Tomorrow is Friday :-) 

Workout on your own?

Sadly, due to my job, I'm only limited to CF Kettlebell classes at night, which means only on Tuesdays and Thursdays I can attend. I've also added it to my Saturday morning routine as well. So, that's 3 classes every week. I like it SO much, I wish I could do it more.

So,  last night, I realized... HEY! Keep a little notebook of all the WODs and then on the days when there aren't class, pick one I like and do it on my own!

Genius.

Why on earth did it take me this long to figure that out. There is my official blond moment of the week. So, I did just that today!

100 jump ropes
15 sit ups with ball toss
10 dual presses
5 dual rows

5 rounds.

Needless to say, I worked up quite a sweat in only 15 minutes just doing that. I have re-learned to LOVE jumping rope. Two weeks ago I looked a wreck... now I have the moments where I can jump 100 and not screw up! Yeah!

New Challenge... complete.

I realize this is my second blog for the day. Wow. A break for an entire year and here I am blogging TWICE in one day.

Tonight was a CrossFit KB class. The workout included box jumps. Some may ask, "what are those?" Others may relate to the look of pure shock and terror that flashed through my face when the workout was announced. That's right. They look kinda scary. Incase you don't know, this is what a box jump looks like:

Crossfit Box Jump

 You stand in front of a box... and.... jump. Part of the workout included 5 rounds with 12 box jumps. It ended up being 7 rounds because we finished the workout quickly.

This was announced and I think I turned white. At least, my reaction was enough to get the instructor to announce I was panicked. I had never done this before.

My box was 12" and once I got over the fact I was scared of it, it actually became something I liked! Gradually over time, you work yourself up to taller boxes. Imagine that day!

Paleo dinner consisted of Egg Cupcakes (tomato on the bottom, bacon right around the edge, filled with egg and mushroom. Baked in the oven. They turned out to be pretty tasty. Topped it off with some nuts and an apple. I do believe I can now call it "a day".

Paleo? What the heck...

I've decided to give the Paleo diet a try...

Maybe I should start with HOW I got to this point...

For an entire year now, a friend of mine has been avidly trying to get me into CrossFit. So, after a year of her nagging, I gave in. However, I gave in to CrossFit Kettlebells which seems more beneficial for me right now. (Honestly, CF itself scares the hell out of me. Toes to bar?! What in the... I can't see myself doing that ANYTIME soon...)

So, this is week two of KB classes... and a fair amount of people I have met at the new gym are all doing the Paleo diet. What's that you ask? Its a diet that "helps you lose fat, improve your health and feel great. Why? Because it works with you genetics to help you realize your natural birthright of vibrant health and wellness" BIRTHRIGHT?! Oh boy... Essentially, you're eating all the lean meats, seafood, veggies and fruit you can handle.

Oh, and nuts. How could I forget nuts?!

So easy... even a caveman can do it! (Wait... that's because that's HOW they actually lived! Except I won't be hunting my own game. I don't believe Baltimore City Rat counts as a lean meat...yet) 

No weighing or measuring... just eating until you're full. No dairy, salt, sugar, gluten or caffeine. They say overtime, you'll have more energy, eat less, faster metabolism and cure all kinds of health issues. Along with looking AWESOME. Now, many of you know, I am a Weight Watchers fanatic. Simply because I lost about 45 pounds on it (depends on the day, you know...) So, switching diets has been a hard concept for me to grasp. I am very touchy about my weight, that I'm scared to try anything different.

But, people say it works. So, it's got a 30 day challenge coming it's way.

Yesterday was day one, meaning today is day 2. Breakfast consisted of half a cantalope and two pieces of eye round from last night. Around noon, I had a few carrots and homemade Paleo guacamole. Do I notice anything different? Well... I wasn't hungry until almost 4pm. (That easily could have been because I was fighting off a migraine called "work") but, once I was hungry, I ate a banana and a piece of "free-range turkey sausage with only 4 ingredients in it" and felt back to normal. (All the blogs I checked out said the less ingredients the better... and avoid all the things you're supposed to in a product like that, so I thought it was a go. After all, I do love some sausage.)

Tonight I'll be making Egg Cupcakes. That's right... egg's are also strongly encouraged. Especially if they have Omega-3's in them....

2 days down... 28 more to go...

365 days... and Marley.

It's pretty sad that I've come to the realization that it's been almost exactly one year since updating a blog that helped me meet so many great people over a period of time.

So... I'm back.

People continuously tell me I live a life that others should read and hear about, so I might as well get back to writing. Whether it's hysterical or motivating or just plain odd, someone, somewhere, will want to be in on it.

But I've decided I don't want the focus of my blogging to be based on bitching and moaning like some  (and don't get me wrong, I'm sure there will be the occasional B&M day...) but I think I want the focus to be more centered on stories of day to day living, along with my consistent training for some kind of race. But also to document my daily struggles with food. I think struggles become easier when you have the world on your side, because face it, we all struggle with s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g.

Since falling off a year ago, I've added a rather ranbunctious puppy to my household. That makes three four legged children. Bella, Oliver and Marley. It sure makes a house that's only 11 feet wide VERY exciting. When I began the search for a dog last August, I knew I wanted  Pointer mix. Pointers are known for their agility, intelligence, companionship and most of all, ability to run long distances. I had contacted several rescue agencies and decided to take a trip up to my local SPCA to see what was there. Low and behold, sitting in one of the pens, was a Pointer/Spaniel mix. He was 5 months old. What are the odds of that?! It must have been meant to be.

What I didn't know, was his "story" before moving to Roland Heights. I knew he had no hair around his neck, but figured this was because he wore a collar that was too tight. Over time, I began to believe this was no longer true, but that Marley lived outside 24/7. He would clean up after himself as soon as he went to the bathroom. He is scared of rain and loud noises and doesn't like to stay outside alone.  He won't go for walks with anything around his neck, so he needs a harness, or else he'll just lay down. He also needs a lot of positive praise to get through the walk, meaning... running hasn't even come close yet. I keep telling myself I saved a dog, but had no idea he'd be this much work.

But, at the end of the day, it's worth it. Some days he has yet to realize what has happened to him previously, won't happen to him here. He'll drop to the floor when I crack lasagna noodles, or reach up high to open a cabinet. Yet, he's always my stand in on the other side of the bed and he still has the ability to love me unconditionally. He will always be in whatever room I am, snuggled up right next to my leg leaning on me for love and support. He is in fact, a 50 pound lap dog that happens to be a beautiful boy.