Day 10 of 30

  Not quite half way yet but it's getting a little easier.  I have eaten today more than I have been lately maybe this is a step in a different direction.  I can see (or think I see physical changes).  I am down only 5lbs but inches are going down; which is a super thing in regards to clothes!  I haven't had regular milk; which is a big deal I am a cereal eater a majority of time.  I haven't tried almond milk on any cereal.  I haven't had a slice of bread or grain; boy I would like a slice of bread with peanut butter or bread and butter with my eggs.  I do know there are healthier choices I can buy.  Lastly, sugar I miss sugar.  I ate sugar at least weekly.  Not necessarily large quantities but something.  I miss that.  Sweet Tea, desserts, maybe a random piece of candy.

Today my workout focus was weights.  I met the stair stepper today

and maybe tomorrow I can hang for 10 minutes  which is more than the 5 today.  I found it to be so awkward to use.  However I refuse to let a machine win. I will be back.

My water was not 100 oz it was only about 75 today but still more water than I used to drink.  The big issue of the day is how much I ate and what I ate.  I am proud to share with you my meals for today.

Breakfast: pancakes made with oatmeal and bananas with a side of pineapple and blueberries
Lunch: leftover turkey sloppy joes, carrots and leftover pasta salad.
Dinner: Zucchini boats
2 snacks: 2 spoons of peanut butter and 1 bowl of fruit.

Recipe credit: clean-wafflepancake-batter

Wordless Wednesday

This week in one of my previous post you saw that I walked 7 miles.  The kids and I took a trip to 3 of our local state parks.  From previous post you saw I completed a visit 5 parks challenge and now I'm slowly trying to visit them all. Or at least that is the goal.  We headed to 3 parks that were located in northern Virginia.  It was a little over 2 hours from us so we left about 7.  It was a long day for us as we didn't get home until after 10 (see my healthy meal for day 8)

Please enjoy some of the nature we saw.

 These were various stones we sifted through to look for sharks teeth!

 This silly spooky tree was on one of the trails.  I could only imagine what it would look like with a candle lit in it.

 This was one of two big frogs we saw.  Funny thing is somehow my daughter saw it and funny how he didn't move and one of us would have come awfully close to stepping on it.

 A beautiful spiderweb as the sun hit it.  We saw a lot of dandy long legs which are the only spider I'm comfortable with!

 One park had all these twisted trees.  More twisted trees here then I ever saw. They were neat to see.

Mushrooms, mushrooms and more mushrooms! We saw all different colors, sizes and shapes.  They are neat to see and my daughter has taken up pointing them out whenever she sees them.

It was a great day for us.  I think the more we walk the more they appreciate what is around us.  We talk about safety and try not to freak out to much when the snakes appear. (one this time went across the path behind us when we looked)

The walking on various trails in the woods takes some getting used to but we bring water and a backpack with miscellaneous things so I hope I'm prepared.  I am enjoying seeing more of my state and am grateful for having earned the annual pass.  Definitely putting miles on my shoes and having a mostly good time with my kids. 3 more parks down!   Only a few more to go!

Day 7,8,9 of 30 day challenge

I didn't realize I was three days behind just thought it was two. So let's get to how things are going.

Sunday Day 7
Breakfast: Yogurt with bananas, strawberries, blueberries and granola
Lunch: leftover salad from Friday
Dinner: leftover turkey sloppy joes, homebaked fries and

My workout on Sunday was going to be my rest day but I did go on a canoe for an hour.

Monday Day 8

 Not a good day. I know this already but it's still about accountability.  Somedays are not going to be as good.  My workout was great. My children and I went hiking and made 7 miles. Which is great but my meals is where I slipped this day.

Breakfast: strawberry and banana smoothie 

Lunch: fruit

Dinner: I essentially skipped as we left the park late and dinner would have been fast food but I picked at more fruit.

Tuesday Day 9

Today was a much better day.  

Breakfast: fruit

Lunch: pasta salad with kale, spinach, beans, peppers and garlic 

Dinner: leftover Zuppa Tuscany from last week

2 snacks, I wonder if it was the walking yesterday? 1 spoonful of peanut butter. A cup of pineapple whip.

75 oz of water

Workout: 33 minutes elliptical.

There now we are all caught up.  I ate a lot of leftovers but today's new recipes will be posted on the bottom.  My workouts vary as you can see.  I do try to maintain some kind of cardio every workout but do add weight training sporadically.  

Pasta recipe credit:                                              

http://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/pasta-with-white-beans-kale-0

Pineapple whip recipe credit:                         http://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-disneyland-dole-whip/

Sun protection with Aveeno

  Each weekend things get a little busier.  We get a little more active outside or go somewhere which means direct sun exposure in the car.  I was granted the privilege of sampling a Aveeno Baby face stick sunscreen.

  This product is great! The easy roll up stick is easier to apply to your babies face compared to a spray or lotion.  It provides the same coverage and with an SPF 50 your baby is covered against the harmful rays of the sun.

  Thank you crowdtap and to 2 other lucky mom poolside today at my local gym given my 2 freebies! I hope you enjoy! Keep your babies protected. Always apply sunscreen especially when expected outside exposure is for long periods of time. Don't forget to reapply every few hours for maximum protection.

#Aveeno
#facestick sunscreen
#crowdtap
#VA

Yoga bag review

  You know I am on a mission to live a healthier life and that takes work in many areas.  You need to work many areas to complete a common goal.  Whether you want to lose weight, tone up or just learn to eat healthier.  Your diet needs to change, your activity needs to change and your motivation needs to rise! Rise above where it has been to push you forward.

  On my sculpting body process I have taken up daily visits to my gym.  I love to workout.  I also know you need to change it up.  You need to utilize different machines to work different muscles just like changing the speed, incline and distance to again challenge you.  Classes offered at your gym also work the same way.  Yoga!  I am familiar with it have done it in the past.  The slow pace is a challenge for me to work with.  I like fast pace and heavy work.

  However yoga has many benefits as well.  I plan on incorporating this into my routine.  The slower pace will do good for my overall well-being.  I recently purchased this great yoga bag. It fits mats up to 28 inches and comes in a variety of colors.  I choose blue!

  It has two handles for easy transport of your mat and a few other yoga necessities maybe a block or resistance band!  The top has full size  zipper top from one end all the way to the next! That's great because you won't have to struggle to squeeze thongs in because you have the full length of the bag to put items in.

  If you are searching for a new bag for your yoga mat or tired of carrying your mat with that strap this is a great bag to replace it with.  I was provided this product at a discount for my honest review.

Providing you the fast link directly to Amazon to pick up your own!

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Mat-bag/dp/B00TJ2CTOA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1436310481&sr=8-4&keywords=yoga+mat+bag

Day 6 of 30

  Whenever I wake up without children awake and someone home it gives me the perfect chance to get a good workout in uninterrupted.  Today was that day!  I decided what route I was going to run, set my app to calculate my miles, turned my music on, clipped my running bag and I was off.

  I am not a marathon runner but I do run for the exercise benefit.  I have run a couple 5k's and maybe I will run more but I more do it just because it's a challenge.  I do keep track of my distance, time, speed and calories.  I always change it up by running a different path just to provide variety.  Some paths have a smooth terrain others may have a few hills.

Today I went around the block which equaled out to 2.34 miles.  I did not run the whole thing there was walking involved in it today as well.  However, I must have walked to much because when I came home I picked up my bike and went back out.  I usually tow my kids around behind me.

So today was a nice change for riding my bike too.  Losing that extra 50lbs made me pedal a little faster, a little farther.  I biked 4.5!

  No the meal portion of my day.  Breakfast was made when I came home.  Hmm, it was a nice gesture and it would have not went over well if I neglected to eat it so I did.

To be honest with you all that grease was so good.  Corned beef hash, a piece of bacon, egg with cheese and some peaches.  I even washed it down with some orange juice and my 25 ounces of water.

  I think all that grease must have swelled in my stomach because I was not hungry at all.  I finally made myself eat.  Still dwelling on my not so healthy breakfast I tried to make a a healthy choice. A bowl of salad with carrots and tuna along with a bowl of yogurt and a sprinkle of granola.

Dinner was a surprise attack on my mission too.  Now, I must tell you something serious.  You need support from your significant other.  They don't need to adhere to your diet but it is not fair to put temptations in front of you.  I declare portions of my dinner to be my cheat meal.  We are allowed 2 and tonight's meal falls into that.  Dinner out at Outback's.

See the nice healthy salmon and veggies! Aren't they pretty. So healthy and good for you.  Well this is what came after the appetizer.   The appetizer we always get when we go there. A treat like no other. Behold the bacon cheesefries!

I did partake in some of these. Happily it was a smaller portion than I usually do but this was definitely not a healthy choice.  But, I did have self control as I declined dessert and my sweet tea. These two are my staples most everywhere.

I guess I'm glad I did that biathlon earlier. You just never know what meals are ahead of you in the day.  Lol, I did get 100 +oz water down too! Yeah!

"I Do" Voxbox

  A few weeks ago I unveiled my voxbox and I just wanted to show you in detail what the contents were.

This card is like a welcome card and let's me know more about the products in my box.

Nanoblur is a anti-aging skin finishing cream.  Helps to correct fine lines, crows feet and enlarged pores.

This product by UrgentRX is a fast powder no liquid required medicine.  It comes in Lemon -Lime flavor and this company offers other flavors and different medicine for other issues. 

Skinnygirl brand nutrition bar.  My bar is dark chocolate almond with coconut.   It is 170 calories, gluten free and kosher and has no artificial sweetness or flavors!

 I have met a Neutrogena product I haven't liked and this is just another point for them.  I received a 2oz hand cream for relief of dry and chapped hands.

Snack time may never be the same.  I had never tried these Sahale snacks and must say I like them and want to try their other flavors.  I received Mango Tango almond mix.  The package is 1.5 ounces of non-gmo, gluten free,no preservatives or artificial flavors or colors.  However there is a kick of chipotle chili.  There are almonds, banana chips, mango bits and more in this pack. Yum!

Covergirl provided a foundation in the color of classic tan.  It was perfect for me.  I do enjoy getting dressed up once and awhile and this does the trick for a great base before I put the rest of my makeup on.

Lastly, but not without great recognition.  This beautiful shade of Phantom Pink lipstick by Covergirl Outlast.  I love it and have received compliments on it.  That's does wonders for a girls self confidence!

So that was all my goodies.  Thank you for taking a look.  Have you tried any of these?  I am so overjoyed with my first box I can't wait to see what else is coming.  If you have an interest in joining Influenster and want to test products, promote and review them comment with your email and I will send you an invite!