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Seven Ways to Stay on Track on Weekends

My worst enemy for healthy living is the weekends. Hands down. All the progress I make during the week tends to be cut down by a few extra handfuls of food here and there. I’m not even talking about gorging on food, I’m just talking about a little extra. Like one handful of cereal and one handful of nuts and raisins, or something of that sort. Once in awhile, Hubster will bring home an extra donut, so there’s that. Maybe my metabolism is far different from others, but still, something’s got to give.

This past weekend, I decided to tackle weekends, and came out the other side with nary an extra pound. Here are some strategies that might be helpful to you if you are struggling with the weekend weight creep monster like I am:

1. Gather Weekday Leftovers: By far one of my biggest problems with weekends is meal prep. I always, without fail, prep for my work week on Sundays. However, I rarely prep for the weekends themselves. Most clean perishable food will not keep for 6 or 7 days. I think even 5 days is pushing it. So my strategy is to put aside extra leftovers from dinner during the week to save for the weekend. That way I don’t have to dedicate another whole night to food prep, but I’ll always have something healthy to nibble on without waiting.

2. Kitchen Makeover: One of the pre-season tasks for the 12WBT is a kitchen makeover. For mine, I had a stockpile of leftovers from a get-together at our house that were haunting me every time I went into the kitchen. Hubster has also been stockpiling yellow M&Ms for a baking project, so guess where the rest of the M&Ms are? In the kitchen! Buh-bye! I threw the extra treats away and forced Hubster to hide the M&Ms if he still wanted them. Call me wasteful, but to me, it’s more of a waste to continue fighting that inner battle and extra layer of outer fat than to throw away a wasteland of junk.



3. Conquer BBQs: Sure, right when I’m trying to get even more super-serious about my eating, a family member goes and throws a potluck-style bbq feast. Haha! We had fun with the party, but I had to use some restraint at the dinner table. Since the paper plates were section-style plates, I just put a little scoop of a few of the best looking dishes in each section. Have a small helping of what you’re really craving and focus the rest on healthy veggie-based dishes for the rest of your meal. And guess what? This past weekend, I didn’t blow any of my progress!

This is just a partial picture of what I was up against!

4. Carry a Water Bottle: at all times! I am really good about drinking copious amounts of water at work, where I’m like 20 paces from a Culligan water cooler. At home though–that’s a different story. I can now tell how dehydrated I tend to get on the weekends by how thirsty I am on Monday mornings. Knowing that sometimes thirst can be mistaken as hunger, I decided to make it my mission to glue a water bottle to my hand from the moment I woke up Saturday morning. I even chugged quite a bit down before that BBQ to make sure I wasn’t trying to satisfy thirst with food or fill my tummy with non-healthy things.

5. Stockpile Healthy Snacks: You can’t just throw away the junk, like step #2 suggests, without finding substitutions or you’ll fail. Make a mental or written checklist of the healthy snacks and meals you have on-hand right away Saturday morning, so you know what to grab. My list included plain popcorn, Greek yogurt and acorn squash. I also made sure those snacks were the first thing I saw in the fridge or cupboard too. Out of sight is out of mind, and I wanted to make sure the healthy stuff wasn’t out of mind when the donuts walked through the door.

6. Chew Gum: In between meals, chewing sugar-free gum is a healthy habit to get into. It signals that you’re done with your meal, making it impossible to continue grazing. Yet at the same time, it’s keeping your mouth and taste buds occupied (and cleans your teeth!) so you don’t continue eating out of boredom. Also, most food tastes gross after you’ve been chewing gum. This strategy really works wonders!

7. Distraction: I find that the more I think about food and hang out in the kitchen, the hungrier I become. So dumb. Leave the kitchen already! I’m never short on projects or goals to conquer, and I find that when I’m immersed in a DIY or writing project, I not only get that much closer to my dreams, but I also forget about food for awhile. There’s no extra grazing or fistfuls of this or that. You see, I spend a lot of my time in the kitchen. It’s one of the places that always has something that needs to be cleaned and always seems to have a meal in progress. But while those noodles are boiling, find something else to work on.

There you have it! Seven bona fide, tried-and-true ways to keep yourself from sabotaging your weight loss progress on the weekends. They definitely have been working for me, so I sure hope they can help you too!

I’m eager to hear: what other ideas do you use to keep your weekends clean?

Big Healthy Breakfasts

Some people think of healthy meals and all they can picture are those teeny tiny little gourmet meals where the glaze looks like more of the meal than the meal itself in their mind. Looks a little like this, right?

Food

Does this ring a bell with you? You feel like you can only eat a tiny bit of food and that you’re surely going to be starving within an hour. I want to show you exactly what I eat for breakfasts quite regularly so we can explore this idea a little more closely.

Let’s dispel those myths, shall we?

I’ve noticed that I can pack quite the doozy of a breakfast for fewer than 500 calories. I mean, we’re talking tasty egg dishes and oatmeal and a smoothie–all at once. See that? I have what appears to be three breakfasts in one! All for fewer than 500 calories, and with tons of lean protein. The best part is, I stay full for several hours with all of this food and I can even have a snack a little later in the morning.

Let’s break it down so you can see how this works

1. One packet of Great Value maple and brown sugar oatmeal, prepared with water. 150 calories

The Oatmeal Artist: French Toast Oatmeal (Milk, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, syrup) - super yummy. i never made my French toast with cinnamon so I didn't think it tasted like French toast, but awesome anyways.. (PS with almond milk it works in the microwave, not with regular milk though)

2. Five egg whites with a pinch of shredded cheese and spices of choice, 91 calories (18g protein!)

Egg white microwave scramble

You can also add a ton of veggies and make a veggie scramble, which adds minimal calories and packs a TON of vitamins and nutrients. And aside from salt and pepper, Mrs. Dash is a wonderful way to spice up the eggs.

3. One fruit smoothie or milkshake. My regular morning staple is 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 scoop protein powder and water. Sometimes I make a milkshake with a few Tbsp milk, one frozen banana, 1Tbsp peanut butter, water and 1/4c Greek yogurt. 190 calories (or 255 calories for the milkshake)

Fruit Smoothie

Total calories for three breakfasts in one: 431!!!

Then, around 11:00am, I usually have a light snack. Sometimes I’ll make chickpea salad or just munch on a serving of cottage cheese. This usually amounts to another 150 or so calories. So, I’m still under 600 calories by lunchtime.

Wanna know what other myth this defies? The one that says that healthy food takes so much longer to prepare. Wrong! Oatmeal packets take about 5 seconds to prepare. Egg whites can be scrambled in the microwave in minutes and a smoothie prepared in a Magic Bullet takes about 15 seconds. That’s faster than drive-through, my friends! And it’s so incredibly healthy and nutrient-packed that it makes little sense to eat any other way.

Healthy eating really can be that easy…fun…colorful…nutrient-dense…fast… I could go on!

What’s a typical breakfast like for you?

*all calorie estimates were based upon my own ingredients using the Sparkpeople.com nutrition calculator

Big Healthy Breakfasts

Some people think of healthy meals and all they can picture are those teeny tiny little gourmet meals where the glaze looks like more of the meal than the meal itself in their mind. Looks a little like this, right?

Food

Does this ring a bell with you? You feel like you can only eat a tiny bit of food and that you’re surely going to be starving within an hour. I want to show you exactly what I eat for breakfasts quite regularly so we can explore this idea a little more closely.

Let’s dispel those myths, shall we?

I’ve noticed that I can pack quite the doozy of a breakfast for fewer than 500 calories. I mean, we’re talking tasty egg dishes and oatmeal and a smoothie–all at once. See that? I have what appears to be three breakfasts in one! All for fewer than 500 calories, and with tons of lean protein. The best part is, I stay full for several hours with all of this food and I can even have a snack a little later in the morning.

Let’s break it down so you can see how this works

1. One packet of Great Value maple and brown sugar oatmeal, prepared with water. 150 calories

The Oatmeal Artist: French Toast Oatmeal (Milk, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, syrup) - super yummy. i never made my French toast with cinnamon so I didn't think it tasted like French toast, but awesome anyways.. (PS with almond milk it works in the microwave, not with regular milk though)

2. Five egg whites with a pinch of shredded cheese and spices of choice, 91 calories (18g protein!)

Egg white microwave scramble

You can also add a ton of veggies and make a veggie scramble, which adds minimal calories and packs a TON of vitamins and nutrients. And aside from salt and pepper, Mrs. Dash is a wonderful way to spice up the eggs.

3. One fruit smoothie or milkshake. My regular morning staple is 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 scoop protein powder and water. Sometimes I make a milkshake with a few Tbsp milk, one frozen banana, 1Tbsp peanut butter, water and 1/4c Greek yogurt. 190 calories (or 255 calories for the milkshake)

Fruit Smoothie

Total calories for three breakfasts in one: 431!!!

Then, around 11:00am, I usually have a light snack. Sometimes I’ll make chickpea salad or just munch on a serving of cottage cheese. This usually amounts to another 150 or so calories. So, I’m still under 600 calories by lunchtime.

Wanna know what other myth this defies? The one that says that healthy food takes so much longer to prepare. Wrong! Oatmeal packets take about 5 seconds to prepare. Egg whites can be scrambled in the microwave in minutes and a smoothie prepared in a Magic Bullet takes about 15 seconds. That’s faster than drive-through, my friends! And it’s so incredibly healthy and nutrient-packed that it makes little sense to eat any other way.

Healthy eating really can be that easy…fun…colorful…nutrient-dense…fast… I could go on!

What’s a typical breakfast like for you?

*all calorie estimates were based upon my own ingredients using the Sparkpeople.com nutrition calculator

Weekly Meal Planning

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Breakfast:

  • Milkshake: 1 frozen banana + 1/4 c plain Greek yogurt + a dash of milk + 1 Tbsp peanut butter + water
  • Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal
  • 5 Egg Whites + a Pinch of Cheese

Snack: 

Lunch:

Snack:

  • Chickpea Salad: 1 can chickpeas + 1 chopped tomato + 1 small chopped onion + 1 chopped cucumber + 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp vinegar + 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Dinners:

  • We have grilled chicken, burgers, subs, and a frozen convenience meal (veggie-based, pretty healthy) on the menu for dinner.
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This menu makes me so excited. The Amazeballs are one of the best treats on the entire planet. They taste as amazing as the name suggests. It’s hard not to eat them all when I’m prepping them. The black bean stew just makes me feel all warm inside. It’s just like chili, but it’s super healthy. That full pot of color just makes me smile. I’ve had some serious cravings for maple and brown sugar oatmeal (you just can’t make it the same yourself), so Peanut and I each have a bowl of it in the morning. And a milkshake for breakfast? Um…yes please! It’s important to get excited about your food when you’re eating healthy. It makes all the difference in the world.

I tend to pack most of my calories into breakfast and the beginning part of my day. Reason being is that I work out in the mornings before work, so it only makes sense to pre-fuel and post-fuel. Then, I generally taper off the calories for the rest of the day. It feels much better to go to bed at night with a light belly rather than an over-stuffed one. The morning is when the metabolism starts rumbling and the evening is when it should start slowing down. My food patterns naturally mimic my metabolism.

I’ve been enjoying throwing together these random chickpea salads for snack. It’s almost become a weekly staple of mine. I just throw whatever veggies sound good together with a can of chickpeas. I wrote out above what I threw together this week. A clean dressing of olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice provides the perfect taste for almost any veggie mixture. That salad divides up among the five weekdays perfectly.

Our dinners often change, but we try to always have a rough schedule penciled out. I sometimes eat a little bit differently than my family does, perhaps subbing a Boca burger for a full-fat meat burger and a whole wheat bun for a pointless white one. This week, I’m going to try extra hard to stay out of all the snack-y things we have in our kitchen right now. It’s really throwing off my game.

What are you eating this week?

Weekly Meal Planning

photo 7a0e3606-0646-4e33-9c1c-ec30739425c2_zps0cc1fc6b.jpg

Breakfast:

  • Milkshake: 1 frozen banana + 1/4 c plain Greek yogurt + a dash of milk + 1 Tbsp peanut butter + water
  • Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal
  • 5 Egg Whites + a Pinch of Cheese

Snack: 

Lunch:

Snack:

  • Chickpea Salad: 1 can chickpeas + 1 chopped tomato + 1 small chopped onion + 1 chopped cucumber + 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp vinegar + 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Dinners:

  • We have grilled chicken, burgers, subs, and a frozen convenience meal (veggie-based, pretty healthy) on the menu for dinner.
PA202075
This menu makes me so excited. The Amazeballs are one of the best treats on the entire planet. They taste as amazing as the name suggests. It’s hard not to eat them all when I’m prepping them. The black bean stew just makes me feel all warm inside. It’s just like chili, but it’s super healthy. That full pot of color just makes me smile. I’ve had some serious cravings for maple and brown sugar oatmeal (you just can’t make it the same yourself), so Peanut and I each have a bowl of it in the morning. And a milkshake for breakfast? Um…yes please! It’s important to get excited about your food when you’re eating healthy. It makes all the difference in the world.

I tend to pack most of my calories into breakfast and the beginning part of my day. Reason being is that I work out in the mornings before work, so it only makes sense to pre-fuel and post-fuel. Then, I generally taper off the calories for the rest of the day. It feels much better to go to bed at night with a light belly rather than an over-stuffed one. The morning is when the metabolism starts rumbling and the evening is when it should start slowing down. My food patterns naturally mimic my metabolism.

I’ve been enjoying throwing together these random chickpea salads for snack. It’s almost become a weekly staple of mine. I just throw whatever veggies sound good together with a can of chickpeas. I wrote out above what I threw together this week. A clean dressing of olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice provides the perfect taste for almost any veggie mixture. That salad divides up among the five weekdays perfectly.

Our dinners often change, but we try to always have a rough schedule penciled out. I sometimes eat a little bit differently than my family does, perhaps subbing a Boca burger for a full-fat meat burger and a whole wheat bun for a pointless white one. This week, I’m going to try extra hard to stay out of all the snack-y things we have in our kitchen right now. It’s really throwing off my game.

What are you eating this week?

Weekly Food Prep

photo 7a0e3606-0646-4e33-9c1c-ec30739425c2_zps0cc1fc6b.jpg
Food glorious food! This is what mine will look like for the week. Spot any protein in there? This is what another week of following Jamie Eason’s LiveFit trainer looks like. Protein plus veggies mostly.
Clean Weekly Food
Breakfast:
Banana pre-workout
Smoothie with oats + frozen berries + protein powder post-workout
5 egg whites plus cooked veggies later in the morning
Clean Veggies and eggs
Snack 1: 
1/2 cup cottage cheese + chives + chopped cucumber
Clean snack
Lunch:
Squash + brown sugar + raisins
Italian Turkey Burgers with spinach on Sandwich Thins
Backyard Garden Squash
Clean Turkey Burgers
Snack 2: 
If needed, I will have two hardboiled eggs.
Dinners:
Grilled chicken + sweet potatoes
Turkey sausage + potatoes + onions
Pork chops + Brussels sprouts
Leftovers
Veggie burgers and…um…birthday cake:)
My week will consist mostly of clean eating (with the exceptions of Sandwich Thins instead of Ezekial bread). Saturday might be a different story. We’re having a late birthday party for me since I turned the big 3-0-. I can assure you there will be birthday cake involved, but I’ll still try to balance that will a lot of lean protein and produce. Otherwise, my entire week is planned out to a “T” exactly like shown above. Since the squash isn’t running dry in my backyard, I decided to incorporate them again this week. The chives, tomatoes and onions came courtesy of my backyard too. I love this growing season!
I can’t wait to try the new burgers and have delicious fruit smoothies for breakfast. This is how I spend my Sundays, peeps. Usually it’s church then grocery shopping with Hubster followed by meal prepping for the week. It’s a great way to ensure that the week is full of good things. It also helps me get to work on time when my food is all ready and bagged:) I even have all my vitamins set out for the week. Go me!
What’s in your lunch box this week?

How Does Our Garden Grow?

With green pepper bells and pungent smells
and pretty white onions all in a row.

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Earlier in the season, I gave you a peek at the planting of my backyard superfood garden. Sadly, we lost our cucumbers, but we’ve been getting quite the harvest off of our humble garden these past few weeks. In fact, one week, I was able to put together an entire week’s worth of salads for my lunches with my abundant lettuce harvest.

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Our acorn squash is getting a little over-zealous. Oh wait, I’m the one who was over-zealous by planting not one, but two squash plants in our meager plot. I do that every year:) I know I pack too much in, but I just can’t help myself when it comes to fresh garden veggies.

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This week, I’m having a whole week of stuffed acorn squash for lunches. I shared the recipe here. It was just sort of put together with some things I had around the house and the farmer’s market.

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I could lose a Peanut in all those squash plants!

While we were gone on our Mackinaw City trip for a week, my father-in-law kept our garden picked. We came home to this ginormous bag of snap peas. I ate from that bag for days and days. It’s so nice to be able to plan my clean eating weekly menu with my own backyard grown produce. It’s going to be a great season!

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We have this neat program at work where you can donate all those extras from your garden to local food pantries. I think this idea is genius! We’ve always got too much zucchini or too many tomatoes or a plethora of herbs in our backyard, so why not share the green love? If I don’t eat them all myself, I hope to donate some acorn squash to this cause since that’s what’s currently taking over our garden:)

Did you grow anything this year? What do you do with your leftovers?

Clean Stuffed Acorn Squash

Healthy? check
Clean? check
Filling? check
Low-cal? check

What’s not to love about a recipe like that?

Clean Stuffed Acorn Squash

  • 3 whole acorn squash
  • 1lb ground chicken
  • 1 cup cooked bulgar wheat
  • 1/2 carton sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup chopped tomato
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice each squash in half and clean out the seeds and pulp. Place the halves face down in a pan in 1-2 inches of water. Cover the skins of the squash with tin foil. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the flesh is fork-tender.

While that’s baking, start cooking your ground chicken on the stovetop until done. Drain grease, if there is any (the leaner the meat the better). Add in all your veggies and the bulgar wheat. Saute until everything is cooked through.

Once the squash is cooked through, let it cool a bit and then spoon the filling into the center of the squash and serve. Makes 6 servings.

I separated the stuffing into six different serving containers and wrapped the squash completely in tin foil in order to take it to work for lunches. I heat the filling and squash up separately and then scoop the filling inside the squash bowl at work. It looks like one heckuva meal and indeed it’s pretty darn filling. When I plugged the numbers into the Sparkpeople nutrition counter I came back with just 259 calories and loads of nutrients, vitamins, protein and all-around good stuff!!!!

This meal was a perfect match for the lunch option on the Jamie Eason plan and perfect for this harvest season. I hope to make a Southwestern version with the rest of the squash that’s coming out of my ears for next week. Check back for another taste-tested, Bounsee-approved stuffed squash recipe next week!

Weekly Food Prep

photo 7a0e3606-0646-4e33-9c1c-ec30739425c2_zps0cc1fc6b.jpg
The bag of food that I brought to work this morning was rather comical. The sheer amount of food would have fit into at least two lunch bags. Oh my gosh! But it’s all super clean, super healthy food, mostly lots of greens and lean protein. It just takes up space, that’s all:) As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m beginning the Jamie Eason LiveFit series this week and trying to follow the plan as closely as possible.
Today was also chest and tricep day and my arms feel absolutely lethargic. When I try anything as simple as lifting my fork or opening a food jar, I feel shaky. Oh boy! I immediately fueled my muscles with a small smoothie consisting of 1/2 scoop of Perfect Fit protein powder and some frozen berries. Many know, and as I’ve  learned through my studies with NASM, that fueling with a bit of protein and carbs within 1/2 hour of strength training makes a huge difference in results. That fuel is quickly used for muscles, but you only have that short 1/2 hour window to take advantage, and I made sure I did. I also stopped to stretch my chest throughout the day today since I know I’m going to feel it soon if I don’t.
I really take pride in eating this well, so I really hope the results are for this program are all they’re cracked up to be. 
Breakfast (total 359 calories): 
  • 1/2 scoop protein powder + 0.25 cup frozen berry smoothie
  • 1/2 cup quick oats + cinnamon + 0.5 Tbsp honey
  • 5 egg whites + veggies (tomatoes, spinach, onion and broccoli)

Saute all your veggies and just add egg whites
Snack 1 (282 calories):
  • 2 Chicken Muffins served inside lettuce leaves
  • Broccoli with Mrs. Dash seasoning

Lunch (266 calories):
  • 1/2 acorn squash stuffed with ground chicken, bulgar wheat, onion, mushroom, garlic and tomato.
  • 1/2 cup cucumber

Snack 2 (366 calories):
  • 2 Chicken Muffins 
  • Kale salad with just a tiny sprinkle or raisins and walnuts with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing

Dinners:
  • We have steak, grilled chicken, whole wheat spaghetti, turkey sausage and pork chops planned for the week. I’ll pair my lean meats with something like a 1/2 sweet potato for my starch and Brussels sprouts for my veggies, as required by the plan.
Bedtime Snack:
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with 1 tsp sugar-free jam (for muscle growth while I sleep)

Yes, this is a LOT of food, much of it high in protein, with a low caloric price. That’s what happens when you start eating cleaner. You can actually eat way more. As in, a whole grocery bag full, judging by my trek to work this morning. Ha!
When I prepped my food last night, it was quite the debacle. I was getting so tired and the food prep seemed to be taking forever (although so worth it!). I went to put something in the fridge and bumped the door. Two entire shelves of condiments fell and messed up the whole kitchen floor. Then, I went to mop up the mess and accidentally put cooking oil in the mop bucket instead of vinegar–the jugs look the same! This was all after forgetting an entire jug of protein powder in the cart at Walmart and running all the way back across town to claim it. After mopping, the floor was still sticky. I just wanted to go to bed after all of that. Luckily, I was finished with my food prepping and Peanut was already asleep so I took the opportunity to duck away. Hubster promised to mop again today. He can be sweetheart sometimes!
I was able to get most of my produce from the farmer’s market this weekend. A few tomatoes, onions, and sprigs of broccoli came from my very own backyard garden. The acorn squash was definitely from my huge backyard supply. I look forward to eating stuffed squash for at least the next two weeks. I hope to share a few of my recipes as I create them. This week, I will be able to share my chicken bulgar-stuffed squash, since that’s what I whipped together for my lunches. It took me awhile to eat that whole sucker today!
And so, Week One begins!

Weekly Workout Rundown

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Monday:

Tuesday:
  • 35 min AM run, 2 miles
  • 30 min brisk walk at lunch

Wednesday:
  • 40 min AM run, 3.2 miles
  • 20 min Maybe Mudder

Thursday:
  • 30 min brisk walk at lunch

Friday:
  • 20 min Maybe Mudder

Saturday:
  • 60 min TurboFire

Sunday:
  • Rest

You’ll noticed I added something a little new to my routine this past week. My lunch workout buddy is training for a Tough Mudder this coming September, so we’ve been incorporating the boot camp training plans into our routine. I don’t mind. They’re actually pretty tough. You start out as a Mudderling, grow into a Maybe Mudder and emerge as a full-grown Tough Mudder.
Since the Tone it up Bikini Series is over, I’ve been toying around with what I want to do next. Until I decide, I’ve been blending different programs like TurboFire, Barre and Insanity into my daily routines. I like to think that this plan provides really good cross training for my body.
I recently purchased Tracey Mallett’s FIT program after reading this great review. I really like it. And it does get your heart working. I’ve loved Tracey Mallett ever since I picked up a VHS tape of her boot camp at a rummage sale several years ago. It was the only video I could justify substituting for running because of its intensity.

Other than that, I’ve been trying to spend my days being more present, really focusing on summer traditions and giving my son some full-on attention. While I was busy studying for my NASM test, I was still doing things with him, but not giving him my undivided attention. He played outside while I studied in a lawn chair. So, it’s time to actually throw a few pitches and hit a few baseballs instead of just handing him the T-ball stand.
I was going to do a separate weekly food prep post, but really the menu this week was quite easy and can be explained quite simply. I felt that I needed to go light this week, and this menu definitely delivers. It’s piled with colorful fruits and vegetables and aside from the syrup, contains absolutely no processed foods.
  • Breakfast: Whole wheat pancakes Hubster made from scratch + a small handful of blueberries + sugar-free syrup.
  • Snack 1: Vanilla Greek yogurt + a small sprinkling of sliced almonds
  • Lunch: Giant helping of Power Greens + a few dried cranberries + a few walnut pieces + 1/4 sliced avocado + this fabulously easy and tasty strawberry vinaigrette.
  • Snack 2: A pile of veggies (broccoli and beans from the garden!) + artichoke hummus

I just read that probiotics might have a positive effect on anxiety and depression. Isn’t that fascinating?! I’m sure there needs to be more studying done to confirm that, but in the meantime, it can’t hurt to add Greek yogurt into my repertoire more often.
Any good workout program suggestions for me?