So this morning didn't start off great for me. I missed my alarm and didn't make it to the gym. On the bright side, I did wake up at my normal time to get to work on time, so at least I wasn't running late. I made my "regular" breakfast of my version of a green smoothie. I make mine with fresh spinach, 2 bananas, light vanilla soy milk, a scoop of vanilla protein powder and some ice. I divide the blender full between myself, my husband and a little for my daughter. It's a great, easy way to get in your greens! You can't really taste the spinach if you are worried about that. Just has a bright green color.
I packed lunch last night. I treated myself to a new lunchbox which I was excited to start using! I had been taking a shopping bag of things for the week to work but can convince myself to go to the cafe in our building too often. I figure with intentional, daily packing I will be less likely to stray from my eating plan.
Today's menu included baby carrots, celery with Laughing Cow Light Chipotle Queso, pepperoncini peppers, baby plums, a mixture of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, a few cherries and a 100-Calorie Kraft Cheese pack. I like to eat lunches that have a big variety and take a while to eat. It makes me feel fuller, longer. This was my first time having the 100-Calorie Packs... they do have a little bit of funny pre-packaged taste to them, but are good for portion control. I recieved them for free with a coupon I got from Kraft First Taste. Sign up if you haven't yet. I get lots of coupons for free products to try.
I brought some watermelon for this afternoon's snack. I love all of the great fresh fruit and veggies that are in season (cheap!) right now. Makes packing lunches so much easier!
What's on your menu for lunch today?
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
My "Workout Buddy"
My daughter has been begging me to take her to the gym with me, but the Kid Club hours and my gym schedule don't match up well since I work out at 5 am most mornings. Since today was a holiday from work I decided to make the most of the day and have my little partner join me. She was very excited to be going! She kept saying we were going to exercise to be skinny! Ha. I guess I need to stop the fat talk around her and focus more on exercising to be healthy.
I did a version of the Couch 25K plan but jogged for 60 seconds and walked for 60 seconds. After only fifteen minutes I was a sweaty, hot and tired mess. So I decided to go over to the circuit training stations and went through each set once for a total of about 20 minutes. Then I went back to the treadmill for another round of jogging/walking intervals. I went around one mile each set so I still have a ways to go before I can complete a 5k but I do want to stick with my version of the training plan. I think I was drinking too much water during my walk breaks because my stomach was not feeling well which is one of the biggest reasons I had to cut it short.
The Couch25k plan has been very successful for a lot of people, and best of all, it's free and doesn't require a gym membership or any special equipment. Just a good pair of running shoes!
After my little workout buddy spotted me going downstairs I figured I should call it a workout before she got upset in the Kid Club. We headed out to do some grocery shopping. I'm really trying to find ways to eat healthy without breaking my budget. One of the biggest helpers to this lately has been the opening of the chain of grocery stores Aldi. I had heard a lot of buzz from other money saving blogs but had heard mixed reviews about the stores. Most of the complaints I heard was that they are located in not so great areas and the produce has not been fresh. Our location is in a great area and I have never had a problem with any of the produce I buy.
Aldi is a great place to stock up on staples like milk (1.79), eggs (.79), and bread (.69). I also buy as much produce there as I can. Today I bought bananas (.39), a seedless watermelon (2.99), cherries (2.29), strawberries (.79), celery (.99), carrots (1.19), zucchini (1.29) and blueberries (1.49). We hit up the Dallas Farmer's Market yesterday and got some great buys on peaches, figs, another watermelon, spinach and raspberries. I should be good for lunches next week now.
Where do you find low cost healthy staples and produce?
I did a version of the Couch 25K plan but jogged for 60 seconds and walked for 60 seconds. After only fifteen minutes I was a sweaty, hot and tired mess. So I decided to go over to the circuit training stations and went through each set once for a total of about 20 minutes. Then I went back to the treadmill for another round of jogging/walking intervals. I went around one mile each set so I still have a ways to go before I can complete a 5k but I do want to stick with my version of the training plan. I think I was drinking too much water during my walk breaks because my stomach was not feeling well which is one of the biggest reasons I had to cut it short.
The Couch25k plan has been very successful for a lot of people, and best of all, it's free and doesn't require a gym membership or any special equipment. Just a good pair of running shoes!
After my little workout buddy spotted me going downstairs I figured I should call it a workout before she got upset in the Kid Club. We headed out to do some grocery shopping. I'm really trying to find ways to eat healthy without breaking my budget. One of the biggest helpers to this lately has been the opening of the chain of grocery stores Aldi. I had heard a lot of buzz from other money saving blogs but had heard mixed reviews about the stores. Most of the complaints I heard was that they are located in not so great areas and the produce has not been fresh. Our location is in a great area and I have never had a problem with any of the produce I buy.
Aldi is a great place to stock up on staples like milk (1.79), eggs (.79), and bread (.69). I also buy as much produce there as I can. Today I bought bananas (.39), a seedless watermelon (2.99), cherries (2.29), strawberries (.79), celery (.99), carrots (1.19), zucchini (1.29) and blueberries (1.49). We hit up the Dallas Farmer's Market yesterday and got some great buys on peaches, figs, another watermelon, spinach and raspberries. I should be good for lunches next week now.
Where do you find low cost healthy staples and produce?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
A Fresh Start
Hello! I'm starting this blog as a way to encourge myself and others to get on the right track with living a healthy life. My biggest excuses are lack of time, lack of money, and lack of energy.
We all have 24 hours in a day, so I've decided I just have to learn to make time! Lack of energy? I have found over the past few months that if I eat right and get enough rest, the energy problem is solved! Lack of money? That one is the hardest! I've been a bargin shopper for a while now, mastering the coupon game, the CVS game and building the stash of products. I just need to shift my focus now on the quality of products I'm getting and deciding to start saving money of things that are good for me and my family.
I'm hoping to share ideas with how I have started eating healthier breakfast and lunches, and preparing healthy dinners for my family, while sticking to my weekly grocery budget of 75 dollars for my family of three.
The first money saving tip I have on this new journey I have started is purchasing my gym membership. You do not have to join a gym to exercise and get fit, but I need the gym to help motivate me. I shopped around to the local gyms that were in good locations to my home and work. This was the biggest thing for me. I have to go to a gym that I can stop by on my way to work in the mornings. I decided to join 24 Hour Fitness since they have so many locations near my home, office and on my commute.
I checked out their special promotions, looked into corporate deals through my office, and finally decided to purchase the 2 year membership at Costco for 299. This works out to being less than $12.50 a month which is the cheapest gym membership I could find anywhere else!
Where do you work out and why did you choose the gym you did?
Look forward to sharing money saving grocery and meal tips for the week tomorrow!
We all have 24 hours in a day, so I've decided I just have to learn to make time! Lack of energy? I have found over the past few months that if I eat right and get enough rest, the energy problem is solved! Lack of money? That one is the hardest! I've been a bargin shopper for a while now, mastering the coupon game, the CVS game and building the stash of products. I just need to shift my focus now on the quality of products I'm getting and deciding to start saving money of things that are good for me and my family.
I'm hoping to share ideas with how I have started eating healthier breakfast and lunches, and preparing healthy dinners for my family, while sticking to my weekly grocery budget of 75 dollars for my family of three.
The first money saving tip I have on this new journey I have started is purchasing my gym membership. You do not have to join a gym to exercise and get fit, but I need the gym to help motivate me. I shopped around to the local gyms that were in good locations to my home and work. This was the biggest thing for me. I have to go to a gym that I can stop by on my way to work in the mornings. I decided to join 24 Hour Fitness since they have so many locations near my home, office and on my commute.
I checked out their special promotions, looked into corporate deals through my office, and finally decided to purchase the 2 year membership at Costco for 299. This works out to being less than $12.50 a month which is the cheapest gym membership I could find anywhere else!
Where do you work out and why did you choose the gym you did?
Look forward to sharing money saving grocery and meal tips for the week tomorrow!
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