Running and smoothies and tracking oh my!

Part of 2013 for us will be redesigning our version of healthy. Let me explain myself. Everyone always talks about eating healthier and working out more but it's hard to go from zero to 60 and not look back at your old habits. The plan is make leading a healthier life a habit and not a job. Here's what we are doing to try and make healthy habits just that... habits!

Running: We have joined a group called Running for Brews and we run 2-3 times a week with them. It's so low key and fun that I wasn't worried that I would be (since I was for a while) the slowest runner in the group. It has allowed me to build my mileage and my running confidence. I used to say that I was pretending to be a runner, but lately I feel as if I'm actually a runner! I look forward to meeting up with our new friends that we have met because of Running for Brews and we all encourage each other to keep coming back.

Healthy breakfast: Everyone always says breakfast is the most important meal of the day. About 5 weeks ago I joined a fitness challenge where the meal plan was provided. Breakfast time called for a lot of green smoothies. We have come to love our green smoothies and they are soooo easy to make quickly. I make enough for both of us and send hubby off to work with his glass. If I start my day with a healthy breakfast I feel like I can eat healthy all day.

Take out: We are doing a LOT less of this. It's so easy to get in the habit of just grabbing dinner somewhere when we are tired or busy (busy is like every day around here). By planning ahead and being determined to live a healthier life eating home cooked meals can be easier. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few taco takeout nights but they are not nearly as frequent.

Tracking: We started using my fitness pal to track all of our food and exercise and it really does help us stay on track. Once you see how much you are eating versus how much our body really needs...wow. I have always been a healthier eater but I was surprised how many extra sneaky calories and sugars I was eating. There are so many apps out there to help you keep track but our favorite is My Fitness Pal. We like the apps on the phone which help us keep track of every little snack (because seriously who doesn't have their phone on them all the time). It's great because we can scan a bar code on the food package or input our own recipes and it tells you the nutritional value.

Encouragement: It's so much easier to be healthy when you have a partner in crime. There are those days where all I want is to grab taco Tuesday but then I remember that my hubby has been good all day and it wouldn't be fair to him. I see our habits changing and becoming our new normal and we are still loving life.

The biggest changes I have noticed is how much less caffeine and sugars we consume, and how we eat when we do eat out. We are considering more healthy options, and eating less of those big restaurant meals. We can also tell when we don't eat healthy- and we regret it later.

Changing lifestyle habits isn't easy at first but if you commit and stick to it for a few weeks, you'll notice little habits (the good kind) sneaking up on you and surprising you! I'll have to add some of my green smoothie recipes but for now have a great day! Do something healthy for yourself today.

Kicking off 2013 healthy

Everyone always vows to be healthier in the new year and this year the boot camp I go to started a challenge on the 7th  (Monday) to help people kick off their resolutions. She has put out a challenge to follow a strict meal plan and focus on working out and eating healthy. So hubby and I are eating our salads, drinking our green smoothies and turning down drinks at the bar (this is particularly difficult since we are in a running club that meets at a bar twice a week!!!). We are committed to working out and running and I have committed to walking Miss Maggie 1-2 miles each morning to get my day started right.

So far the first 2 days were rough. We both had headaches (no caffeine and no sugar!!!) and we both had moments of crankiness. But yesterday and today we are feeling better and ready to keep going with this plan for the next 5 and a half weeks. We are both hoping to run a little faster and lighter by the end of this but more than anything I'm excited about making a lifestyle change. I have a sweet tooth...like a HUGE one, and we both enjoy going out to dinner at less than healthy spots. Once this is over I plan to still visit those restaurants but not nearly as much and when we do, it'll be in moderation.

What are you doing to kick off your resolutions? Have you taken on a challenge of any type?

Happy 2013

Happy New Years! I hope everyone had a fun and safe evening last night and a great start to 2013 so far. We enjoyed a fun night out last night and a day of relaxing and hanging out. The one great thing about Florida is when the weather is nice, it's so enjoyable. We rode our new bikes downtown, got some tea, and enjoyed the weather.

Every year we all make "resolutions" and we set lofty goals and sometimes disappoint ourselves when we don't follow through. Last year I decided to make a goal for each month. Nothing major but something I could actually quantify and say did I do this yes or no. Here are my monthly goals for 2013:

~January: Paint the kitchen table and chairs and do backsplash in kitchen
~February: Run entire 15k Gasparilla Race and take sewing class
~March: Complete Romp to Stomp in Colorado and enjoy the mountains
~April: Sew myself a summer outfit
~May: Visit the Everglades
~June: Take a mountain biking road trip
~July: Be a good training walk leader and actually doing the training for the 3-Day
~August: Try a new outdoor adventure
~September: Have a second Guide dog pup in training
~October: Have a successful Tampa 3-Day
~November: Complete 60 miles in San Diego
~December: Start a new hobby

Also I have a few "anytime in 2013" goals that I want to see done but don't have a timeframe placed on it.

~Turn Maggie In For Training
~Get rid of blue couch!
~Hang all artwork in house
~Complete craft corner of office
~Complete the Spartan Challenge in under 1 hour and 15 minutes

So that is my plan for the year. Do you make resolutions, changes, or goals for the new year?

Goodbye 2012

I find it interesting how many of my friends can't wait for 2012 to be over and 2013 to start. I have to admit that I do not really want this year to end. I have had an amazing year. We woke up in our brand new house for the first time on January 1, 2012. One month later I started a new job (so in love with my company and my job but that will have to be a post for another day). A month later we had the most amazing wedding with friends and family all around us to celebrate. Our action packed honeymoon in Costa Rica was a blast and we even had time to relax. In June we added Maggie Moose to the family (I'll do a post on her one of these days) and since then we've taken some great trips and made lots of memories.

While I am looking forward to everything that will happen in 2013 I am sad to see 2012 end. I tried to do monthly goals for 2012 and while I didn't do everything I completed most of my goals.

January: Get the house unpacked and settled (still putting up pictures and slowly doing some DIY projects)
February: Run the Rock and Roll half marathon (Done)
March: Love my wedding and new marriage (DONE!!!!)
April: Plant, and try not to kill, some flowers for spring (We've had a bamboo since April and only a few stalks have dies)
May: Try boxing (didn't do this but started running and doing boot camp more)
June: Complete a personal goal I have wanted to do for a while (details to come later) (We got Maggie!!!)
July: Reconnect with 5 friends that I have lost touch with over the years (I was bad about this but did take time with people around me)
August: Spend lots of time at the pool/beach relaxing (This I didn't do but I spent lots of time outside walking the dog)
September: Complete 3 Pinterest projects (I have done half a dozen or so pinterest projects in 2012)
October: Keep up with sleep during a busy work month (I survived)
November: Volunteer for an organization I have never worked with (Didn't do this :-( )
December: Read 2 classic books (I love reading on my kindle app on the iphone and now my ipad and I have been reading a lot)


Tomorrow I'm going to write out my goals for 2013 and put them out there so that all of you can keep me accountable. What are your goals/resolutions for 2013?

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I've been seeing quite a few cauliflower based recipes on Pinterest so last week at the grocery store I decided I would make one of them and bought a head of cauliflower. I do NOT like cauliflower raw or steamed but I I keep hearing how it can be a healthy option for a lot of comfort foods. So finally tonight I had time to search Pinterest for some recipes. I found a few that sounded easy (minimal prep and time required) and took the basic ideas and started my experiment.

First I found everything that would probably taste good that needed to be used:
~1 head of cauliflower
~leftover turkey from Christmas (didn't have many spices and was cooked in the slowcooker)
~boiled red potatoes
~garlic (cause who doesn't like garlic)

Then I pulled out some add-ins that should make it all work:
~Chicken Broth
~Paprika
~thyme
~Salt and pepper
~Garlic powder
~Olive oil
~ Apple Ginger Cider, a glass of wine would work (ok this is really for drinking because I will occasionally enjoy a drink while cooking dinner)

Nothing was measured because I was making it up as I was going so I would say add as much of each item that you personally like. Other veggies that I would include in the pre-blender cooking (this will make sense in a little bit) would be carrots, celery, peppers, onions, stuff like that.

Sauté the garlic and any veggies that would need it (onions, carrots, celery) until soft then add chopped cauliflower and boiled potatoes. Continue to cook these all together for about 10 minutes. Add Chicken Broth (I did about 4 cups) and spices. Cook all together for a few minutes to let everything mix.

Put all items from pot into blender (a big food processor would be nice to use as well) and blend until smooth. I did have to do this in 2 portions since my blender is not that big. Return to pot on stove and add extras. I added turkey and bacon. I let it all simmer for another 10 minutes or so and serve with crackers or bread. Hubby and I both liked it and I plan to make it again. I would like to make it as healthy as I can so check back for updates. As it is, the recipe is dairy, gluten, nut, fish, soy, peanut, egg, and shellfish free. I didn't plan on that but it worked out nicely.

If you have any ideas on cutting out the potato to make it healthier but keeping it creamy please let me know. Also if you find something to add that makes it even better please share!

Have a wonderful night!