What I Ate Wednesday # I need to figure that out ;)

Happy Hump Day Y'all! So, today is bound to be a BUSY one! We have so many appointments and things to get done. So this will be a quick one!

I had a very healthy week last week and this coupled with my workouts I am really starting to see some abs coming back ;) Can't wait to take some 30 day pictures!

Shakeology has been had each and everyday post workout. Apples, cinnamon, pb my favorite tastes like an apple pie snack. A treat from this organic place down the road. Bananas, pb, and dark chocolate because sometimes you just need that. Banana, string cheese, two dates, and pistachios. 

In the top left, frozen watermelon is amazeballs try it if you haven't, egg scramble, and raisin toast, blueberry coffee cake, and vegan coffee, sweet potato leftover breakfast bowl. Tuna salad, eggs and salad. Chicken and cheese crescents with fruit and veggies, steak bites with twice baked potatoes and zucchini, and some lo-mein after a movie on Sunday ;)

Workouts

I've been really good about following my workout schedule this month. I've really stuck to it and added in some things and I am sore in the most amazing way!

Last Tuesday I did a 30 minute run and saw this project called Cartas al Cielo read my post to learn more about it...it is awesome.

Last Wednesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Thursday: 50 minute run and Insanity Cardio Abs

Friday: Insanity Cardio Recovery

Saturday: Cardio Power & Resistance...it was awesome:

Sunday: X-Stretch & a 20km bike ride...some in the rain ;)

Monday: 10km bike ride and Cardio Power and Resistance plus this:

Tuesday: 200 burpee's and a 20 minute run to calibrate my heart rate monitor (not easy) and stretching

Today: Will be a half hour run and Insanity cardio recovery and 200 burpees....on top of tons of walking due to meetings we have today and doing the last of the cleaning of our old apartment. It looks to be a very strenuous day so we shall see how all that goes.

I hope everyone has a healthy and fabulous Wednesday!

Glorious Summer What I Ate Wednesday +week in review of workouts!

I really have to get a better title for my What I Ate Wednesday posts...these are hard though because well, they are what they are! But, I had a *spam* commenter say the titles were "boring" and if a spammer thinks its boring...in my mind there is no doubt it is...so I need to get my creative brain flowing.....so this week I added "Glorious Summer" to the title since we kicked off summer vacation this past week finally....but, I still need to figure out what else to title these...for now though, I will continue to call a spade a spade ;)




I feel like I wasn't a very good journal-er for this week my food photos are really sort of random! ha!

Breakfast one morning: Oatmeal with almond milk, coconut oil, blueberries, chia seeds, blueberries, banana slices, cinnamon, and a tiny bit of vanilla sugar (I made, recipe coming soon it is amazing)

This was a quinoa scramble minus the eggs. We've been using up food because I am too lazy to transport it from one house to the other lol So this has a little bit of everything in it: peppers, onions, mushrooms, quinoa patties I made and had frozen topped with a bit of cheese. It was perfect after a nice 40 minute run & some insanity cardio recovery.

I confess: this is canned pineapple lol It was still delicious & I used the pineapple juice it was packed in to make a delicious drink with pineapple juice, pear juice, and some lemon...it was very yellow. :P

This is probably my most favorite salad ever! I will be posting the recipe soon...but it is so delish!

Hubby worked late one night and the kiddo and I didn't have to be creative so veggie nuggets and sweet potato pieces and onions it was. Easy, fast, and we had leftovers ;)

Finally...we had a great little treat day this past week on Friday. School let out Thursday so we partied hearty on Friday with a day at the beach & some delicious treats!

For me: Mojito...so tasty! For teenager: Coke

We split this tasty little concoction....nachos with salsa and guac and some chicken satay. Satay was a bit much for me I only had one skewer...the teenager devoured them though! 

Finally...some ice cream! No better way to kick off summer than some awesome ice cream and a walk on a bright sunny day along the canals of Amsterdam!

It was a great week and I really stuck to eating clean and healthy a majority of the time! This is good for me because I have been caught in a "cheating rut" for a while now...(btw, a "cheating rut" is where every meal is a cheat meal lol)

Now for my week in workouts! This has been a fantastic week for me. My legs are super sore, but I am more energized and feeling accomplished after my workouts even on days when I wasn't particularly looking forward to the workouts...

Last Wednesday: Ran 30 minutes and stretched...I did my C25K...it truly was an awful run. I was still lethargic after our Paris trip but, I got out there and did it and had a great time! 

Thursday: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance

Friday: we were at the beach all day and our train coming home was late! We at dinner and I ALMOST didn't work out....but, I started getting mad at myself for not working out so I got up & did it! This is the end result of Insanity Pure Cardio! 

Sweaty & gross but feeling amazing!

Saturday: P90X Stretch and date night since it was raining all day I wasn't up for a run in the freezing rain ;)

Sunday: Got up at 7am and went for a run before everyone got up...did a 40 minute run then came home and did Insanity Cardio Recovery. 

Monday: 20 minute run with the teenager that included two sets of 20 second sprints, then some Insanity Cardio Abs...my abs still ache ;)

Tuesday: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Starting today I may have to change my schedule around since it looks like it is supposed to be really rainy the rest of this week and I am not a fan of running in the rain in this colder European climate....but, hopefully it will be nice enough for me to get up and do my 40 minute scheduled run with my cardio recovery...but we will see...may wind up being pure cardio ;)

How about you...if you run do you run in the rain? If you don't run what is your favorite thing to do for exercise?

What I Ate Wednesday-Paris eats +workout recap

As soon as we got off the train this was the first thing we saw...it was amazing!

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you know my family and I just got back from Paris. The trip wasn't without its challenges, but overall it wound up being one of the best weekends I could possibly have asked for, for my "dream vacation" trip. Now, since we were there for a full weekend you know we HAD to eat! So,...here's a collection of what we ate...

Day 1

On the Thalys Train on the way there they had decaffeinated coffee!!! I was so thrilled! I don't ingest much caffeine (just what comes naturally in the very dark chocolate I eat) so this was so nice for me!

Here is where we were *supposed* to get lunch at the Eiffel Tower after checking into our hotel but after learning we couldn't actually stay in that hotel due to capacity issues (not the hotels fault our fault but that is another post) and running around all over the city and having the awesome people at Novotel go out of their way to help us we wound up at this super awesome pub, the only one in the area we saw showing the US/Germany soccer match. So, we chilled and enjoyed some amazing food!

I forgot to take a picture of it but the Mojito here is amazing. Minty & refreshing...just what I needed!

This was my meal lol Short ribs with a honey teriyaki-ish glaze...delish & some garlic potatoes.

Thsi was the kiddo's: onions & ham. She loved it.

The husbands: bacon, ham, sausage...those sausage pieces were amazing!

The next morning after a great night's sleep we went back over to our original hotel to get checked in & went to a brasserie nearby for a quick breafast....

The cream came in the cutest little bottle...I loved it & the coffee was delicious of course!

....and what else do you have for breakfast in Paris but a croissant of course!

It was so buttery and soft...best croissant I've ever had (of course it was probably the freshest lol)

After this we immediately went off to the Louvre so we could get in a full day of art! After spending a morning wading our way through tourists to see Cupid, Hermes, the Mona Lisa, and several other amazing works we were famished before we could move on to Napoleon's Apartment. So, we decided on Le Cafe Grand Louvre for lunch. I was so glad we did, it was fantastic!

Mushroom risotto with side salad.

Post lunch coffee (they also had decaffinated!) and I love how in Europe all coffee's come with either a chocolate or a biscuit! But, I promptly put that in my purse for later because I could not resist this chocolate cake...

...and I was glad I didn't. I twas soft, moist, and had ginormous chocolate chunks all throughout it!

I mean, look at that!!!! Just look!!! It was amazing. I dream about that cake.

After the Louvre we had a nice walk through the Tuileries Gardens, then on to the Champs Elysee and to the Arc de Triomph. It was in this area we took a cab over to Notre Dame & made it just before mass started. After that we walked around quite a bit and found a great little bistro for dinner....

I don't usually get bacon burgers but this was their "special" of the day & it was bacon with emmental cheese! Ooh boy was it amazing! I did take the bun off though as I really wanted to eat the whole thing lol

I could decide on dessert & then discovered they had a trio of dessert with a coffee! The creme brulee was the best of all the desserts.

This was the kiddos dessert! I took a bite, it was really good. A nice creamy mousse.

This was a the bigger version of the creme brulee...hubby loved it and ate every last bite!

The next morning, our last full day in Paris was a gloomy icky day...so we dressed up really nice & rode over to the Opera House (gorgeous by the way) and then did a ton of shopping on Les Grande Boulevard Haussman. We had brunch at a cute bistro near the shopping area:

This was the husbands omelette and fries. He really enjoyed it. Said it was super delicious.

I got the Croque Madame. It is basically a ham & cheese toasty with a sunny side up egg. Here they make toasties differently and they put a ton of cheese on the top! Some places also put cheese in the middle, but most do just a ton on top...they are amazing.

It was 3 layers...3!!!! With all that gooey emmental cheese on top! Heaven!!!!! I didn't eat my fries & I didn't finish this entire thing, but it was so delish. I loved it!

We then had to burn this off with more shopping, after a while though we of course got tired again & needed to find a place to rest our feets....

Delicious coffee and creme with a chocolate covered almond.

Hubby had a banana split. It was a true banana split too with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla locally made ice cream and tons of whipped cream and of course chocolate sauce & a banana.

Sadly our dinner that night was nothing to write home about. We had a bit of a communication error and I wound up with raw salmon...I sent it back & they steamed it but it had no seasoning or anything it was pretty awful lol but, I can't really complain since everything else was so amazing.

Now that we are back here is a small collage of what I've been eating:

Coconut Quinoa Patties (recipe coming soon), a veggie sandwich with grapes,a veggie wrap with an apple, and a taco salad! So delicious....

This last week I've actually been forgetting to record my workouts, but they look something like this:

6/25: 30 days of yoga days 28, 29, & 30

6/26: Day off-left for Paris & did a bunch of walking

6/27: Day off-in Paris probably walked a solid 10 miles was so sore the next morning!

6/28-Day off-again, probably walked a solid 10 miles again...we were so, so, so sore after this!

6/29-Came home from Paris did tons of walking with heavy groceries for the week

6/30-Insanity Fit Test-did a pretty darn good job...I think I'm pretty much where I left off....WOOHOO!

7/1-30 minute run....my tendons are still so sore from all the walking we did this run really sucked but I was glad I did it!

So, I think on this trip the best thing I ate was the chocolate cake from the Louvre by far. It was the best take on a chocolate cake I'd had in a very long time. What is the best thing you've ever eaten on a vacation?

What I Ate Wednesday!

Wow! I have been gone nearly a month! I am so grateful for all those that kept coming to the blog to visit and read some old posts!

Now that I am done with my project I was contracted to do and we are finally settling in to our life here in Amsterdam I hope to not be so overwhelmed and be back to blogging at my regular rate!

What I Ate Wednesday is one of my favorite days to post because I love, love, love to brag about all the yummies I have been making/eating. This past week has been particularly delicious. Most of these you can see over on Instagram too...by far my favorite social media platform so if you aren't following me please do & leave me a comment or something so I can follow ya back! Anyway, back to the topic at hand...

First, I want to start off with this awesome new product find:

No added sweeteners or thickeners. It is a combo of rice and almonds. It is the perfect complement to all my dishes. I have been looking for something like this for quite some time...I was ready to get the carageenan (or however you spell it) out of my diet and any artifical sweeteners and this is the drink! So, so, so, so, so lucky to have found it! Now, join me over here and tell me how to decipher this label! haha

Banana Pancakes

I will be honest these took a bit to get used to the texture, but they are so delicious!

1 banana mashed up really good until it is almost smooth

2 eggs whisked

Pour the eggs into the banana and whisk together until it gets a bit foamy at the edges and the egg & banana are well incorporated. Pour into a pan in small batches, watch the edges and when they seem ready flip them over & cook for about 30 seconds to a minute on the other side!

Top with your favorite healthy ingredients: I love peanut butter or almond butter & cinnamon!

Egg & cheese scramble with sweet potatoes and a sliced peach

Lunch was this amazing oatmeal bowl. I know it looks weird but it is just oatmeal cooked in water with chia seeds, goji berries, blueberries, strawberries. When it was done cooking I topped it with some Rude Health Almond Milk, some peanut butter, and some coconut oil.

Zucchini stuffed with brown rice, pecans, onions, carrots, and the zucchini "meat" and then topped with a half slice of gouda! So yum!

Delicious snack-Pink Lady & PB...*nom*nom*

Afternoon pick-me-up

So, that is it for what I ate.

To counter act all that and keep up my fitness routine I've been running, almost up to a 5K. I took it slow getting back into running because I am very prone to shin splints and aches in my knee and hip. I didn't want to hit the ground running at a 10K and injure myself so I started with C25K Free from  the iTunes store and am almost done. I've been doing that and 30 days of Yoga . It feels so good to do something so restorative each and every day.

What have you been doing for workouts? Anything cool or exciting I should check out? Anyone heard of slacklining? If so, give me info!

Menu Plan Monday +Workouts: Moving Edition

Wow, wow, wow! Easter Monday here folks.

We had a wonderful weekend full of games with friends, dinners with friends, and egg hunts! There was a poor decision of a donut and one of those Lindt Cream eggs for breakfast on Easter Morning but it was totally worth it ;)

Org Junkie Link Up

As you know from my last post that we are undergoing a huge move to Amsterdam, Netherlands. This means very busy days of selling and tossing stuff. So, the menu is full of easy, quick stuff that doesn't require any more than a pan, a pot, and/or a baking sheet.

Breakfast Choices:

Oatmeal cups, cereal cups, eggs & veggies, shakeology, paleo pancakes with pb, 

Lunch:

Monday: Leftover's from Easter Dinner Out

Tuesday: me: eatout, teenager: spaghetti leftovers & salad 

Wednesday: me: tuna salad, teenager: lunch out with her friends

Thursday: Driving to Washington to take care of US needs, eat out

Friday: munchies plate: any fruit and veggies that need to use up, cheese, nuts OR Chicken Salad

Saturday: Grilled cheese with salad

Sunday: Omelettes or Cream of Wheat

Dinner:

Monday: Baked potatoes/baked sweet potatoes with zucchini and sugar snap peas

Tuesday: Tacos with salad

Wednesday: Chicken breasts topped with cheese & veggies/salad

Thursday: Spending the day in Washington taking care of US stuff, eat out

Friday: Hamburgers with veggies & potato skins

Saturday: Homemade Hamburger Helper with salad

Sunday:  BBQ pulled pork sandwiches with cheese, corn, and zucchini

Snack Choices: Shakeology bites, apples with peanut butter, paleo pancakes with pb

**Update** Paleo Pancakes
This recipe is adapted from the Big Ass Pancake...

2 tablespoon coconut flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk (I use almond but you could use full fat coconut, coconut almond, or-gasp, even regular milk haha although then it is not quite so paleo anymore, I think that is "primal" then)

Put the coconut flour in a mug & break up any big lumps, add milk & eggs. Mix together with a fork until not lumpy. Cook in a small skillet, mine is about a 6-8" skillet and it takes up the whole bottom of the skillet. I top it with sunbutter, peanut butter, or almond butter. Many times I will mix my nut or seed butter with some coconut oil to make it a little runnier & more like a "syrup"-ish thing.

Workout Schedule

Not only are we moving, but I am having a crazy week with starting a new work project that will need a good amount of my attention. This means workouts will need to be quick, yet effective. 

Monday: 100 Burpee Burnout +insanity cardio abs

Tuesday: 1 mile run and X3 Yoga

Wednesday: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance

Thursday: Doing some traveling and stuff so will try and do some foam rolling

Friday: P90X Cardio X

Saturday: 3 mile run, foam rolling

Sunday: Yoga at Lulu Lemon