Favorite Foods

My favorite way to eat is in small meals all day long, like 5 meals a day.  I would always choose tapas over a Thanksgiving meal (my husband thinks that's blasphemy), and I have a number of go-to dishes that I love. I decided to look into what the nutritional value of each is, so I figured I would write a blog post about them as I do.  Ideally I'd like to get about 30 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of fat per meal.  Now, as you may know, I'm gluten free and I try to stay away from most dairy with the exception of goat's milk cheese and yogurt, so these dishes follow that diet.

Maybe I should talk about my supplements, too...  I take a multivitamin with iron,  CLA, Sublingual Vitamin B-12, and a D Vitamin.  Everyday.  I also buy my vitamins at Trader Joe's they're much cheaper there! 

Yogurt with strawberries and granola

1 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup Kind Vanilla Blueberry Clusters
1/2 cup sliced strawberries

Calories: 300
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 42g
Protein: 27g
Fiber:  8g

(A little high in carb, I could reduce the amount of granola, but pretty great.  Go me!)

Chicken breast with Hummus and Tomatoes

Leftover chicken breast (4oz)
2 tbs hummus
handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Calories:  282
Fat:  7g
Carbs:  14g
Protein:  38g
Fiber:  2g

(If I just add some more veggies to this, it's a perfect meal)

Omelet with Spinach and Feta

1 whole egg and 3 egg whites
sauteed spinach
1 ounce goat cheese feta

Calories: 230
Fat:  14g
Carbs:  4g
Protein:  23g
Fiber:  2g

(If I switch to egg whites only and a cup of fruit on the side)

Calories: 275
Fat:  5g
Carbs:  35g
Protein:  19g
Fiber:  5g

GF Toast with Mashed Peanut Butter and Banana

1 slice Udi's gluten free whole grain bread
1 tbs peanut butter
1/2 medium banana

Calories:  280
Fat:  12g
Carbs:  38g
Protein:  9g
Fiber:  4g

(this has a lot less protein than I thought!  I guess I could eat with the protein shake below for a nice big meal.)

Strawberry Vanilla Protein Shake

1 cup almond milk
handful of frozen strawberries
heaping scoop of vanilla protein powder

Calories:  170
Fat:  4g
Carbs:  7g
Protein:  25g
Fiber:  3g

(If I added a banana)

Calories:  270
Fat:  4g
Carbs:  34g
Protein:  26g
Fiber:  6g

Think Thin Brownie Crunch Bar

Calories:  230
Fat:  8g
Carbs:  24g
Protein:  20g
Fiber:  2g

(This guys is pretty perfect, and tasty, too)

Protein Pancake with Blueberries on top

1/2 banana
1/4 c egg whites
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbs ground chia seed
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs almond milk
1/2 c blueberries (on top)

Calories: 120
Fat:  2g
Carbs:  28g
Protein:  26g
Fiber:  4g

(another pretty good one!) 

Hummus and Cucumbers

2 cups sliced Cucumbers
4 tbs Hummus

Calories: 124
Fat:  5g
Carbs:  16g
Protein:  4g
Fiber:  3g

Tuna made with Hummus on GF Bread

1 can white tuna in water, drained
2 tbs hummus (this picture is with the roasted red pepper kind)
1 slice Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain bread

Calories:  185
Fat:  5g
Carbs:  17g
Protein:  17g
Fiber:  3g

Scrambled Egg and Hummus on Toast

1 slice Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain bread
2 tbs hummus
1/4 c egg whites scrambled with 1 whole egg

Calories: 245
Fat:  11g
Carbs:  18g
Protein:  20g
Fiber:  4g

Weight Loss Ups and Downs: The Plateau

Photo Courtesy of tabelehealth.com

Like many of you, I decided to lose a few pounds this year.  After the binging of the holidays I thought it was a good time to try and lose the last few pounds that never shed after finally being diagnosed with autoimmune disease and Hashimoto's.  But more on that another time. 

Since I already eat pretty clean, I decided to count my calories to see what I could do better.  I lost a few pounds the first week, then stayed the same for the next THREE WEEKS.  Seriously, talk about a plateau!  It was so frustrating, I decided to up my workout routine to include a lot more cardio to see if I could break through it.  STILL no change on the scale, but I did start to notice a more lean physique. 

Frustrated, I did a ton of research and decided to try Carb Cycling.  Google it and you'll learn that it's what bodybuilders do to lose those last few pounds before a competition.  It helps lose fat without compromising muscle, which is good for me because I workout so much.  I'm not trying to get down to 5% bodyfat or anything, I just wanted to get out of this plateau and so far it's working!

The idea is that you alter the ration of carb and protein daily so your body never thinks it's being deprived of anything.  I kind of took from a lot of different websites and generated my own 10 day schedule which I've shared below.  Each number is the meal, so I was eating 4 meals a day, you can eat the meals of the day in any order.  Proteins are all lean meats like poultry and fish, nuts and eggs.  Carbs are just fruits and vegetables.  You eat as much as you need to feel full, then no snacking in between.  When I want a snack at night, I have some grapefruit with stevia (yum) but that's it.  I'm on Day 3 now and have lost 1.5 pounds already, and I was stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks prior with just calorie counting. 

On days that I have a particularly strenuous workout, I have been replacing one meal with a protein shake.  My shakes consist of 1 cup almond milk, a handful of frozen strawberries, and a heaping scoop of vanilla protein powder.  As I move through, I'll replace one meal with a protein shake on days that I had a hard workout, and will try to replace the "protein and carb" meal when possible.

While it's working, some of the drawbacks are that I don't snack at all in between so when I'm hungry, I'm hungry.  I'm not drinking any wine which is a bummer.  It's pretty regimented and can be challenging on a day like today where it's all protein.  What do you have for dinner?  A piece of chicken?  Carb only day seems easier to me, fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, and a bowl of spaghetti squash with sauteed veggies for dinner. 

I'll comment on this post after the 10 days are up and let you know how I do!

---------------
UPDATE:  So I lost 5 lbs in 10 days.  I took a few days off before doing it again and gained 2 back, so keeping that in mind, I'm still happy that I broke through the plateau. I plan to do this diet for 1 more week before I really start my Broad Street Run training and have to eat a lot more. 
---------------

Day 1

1.     Protein and Carb

2.     Protein Only

3.     Protein and Carb

4.     Protein and Carb

Day 2

1.     Carb Only

2.     Protein and Carb

3.     Carb Only

4.     Carb Only

Day 3

1.     Protein Only

2.     Protein Only

3.     Protein Only

4.     Protein Only

Day 4

1.     Protein Only

1.     Protein and Carb

2.     Protein Only

3.     Protein Only

Day 5

1.     Protein Only

2.     Carb Only

3.     Protein Only

4.     Protein Only

Day 6

1.     Protein and Carb

2.     Carb Only

3.     Protein Only

4.     Protein and Carb

Day 7

1.     Protein Only

2.     Protein Only

3.     Protein and Carb

4.     Protein Only

Day 8

1.     Carb Only

2.     Carb Only

3.     Carb Only

4.     Carb Only

Day 9

1.     Carb Only

2.     Carb Only

3.     Carb Only

4.     Protein Only

Day 10

1.     Carb Only

2.     Protein Only

3.     Protein Only

4.     Carb Only


Enjoy the Healthy Life Everyone

~Sue

Gluten Free Chicken Soup

This flu season feels like the worst!  My daughter came home from work yesterday afternoon and deteriorated very quickly, so she needed some chicken noodle soup in a hurry!  I hate the canned gluten free soups, I haven't found a good one yet, so I decided to make her some homemade gluten free chicken noodle soup.  Since I didn't have the time to really make it from scratch, here's what I did:

I had some gluten free spaghetti (to use for the noodles), frozen peas (Jade requested them in her soup), chopped kale (that I use in everything), so I needed to run out for the rest.  I bought a rotisserie chicken and some organic gluten free chicken broth and we were off! 

First, I sauteed some garlic in olive oil in the bottom of a large pot, then added one and a half packages of broth and a generous amount of poultry seasoning.  If I had some parsley on hand, I would have chopped that up and thrown that in, but I didn't.  I also threw in a few bay leaves.  As I waited for that to boil, I started pulling apart that chicken, shredding the meat by hand and tossing into the pot.  Once that was done, and the broth began to boil, I broke up the spaghetti into small 2 inch pieces and dropped them in.  Finally, I added some frozen peas and a few handfuls of the chopped kale and let that boil until the pasta was cooked.  (Remember to fish out the bay leaves before serving.)

The result was so much better than anything canned and almost as easy.

Happy Clean Eating!
~Sue 

A New Year, A New Start

What I'm obsessing with lately is getting back to me.  Over the holidays, I tend to let everything go a bit and focus on spending time with family, which unfortunately means eating and drinking too much and my only workouts being walking through the mall while I shop for gifts.  It's important to have that time with family and friends, and I absolutely love it, but now that the month of parties and excess are over, I can't wait to get back to me.  What does that mean?  It means eating clean, working out, building my business, writing, the stuff I do for me.

Kombucha Gingerade

This January 1, eating clean meant starting with some Kombucha.  I love the gingerade flavor and I drink it whenever I have had a little too much fun the night before (think New Year's Eve).  It rebalances your body's acidity, is full of probiotics to help digestion and helps you detox by cleaning the liver.  I also have autoimmune disease, so this elixer help me to strengthens my immune system which clears my eczema, helps my thyroid, and releaves my general inflammations.  I keep a bunch of these in my fridge and try to have a few a week.  I would get bored if I drank the same thing every day, but three times a week and whenever I've had too much to drink the night before, and I'm good to go!  The rest of eating clean is just that, lots of organic protein with a base of fruits and vegetables.  Nothing processed, nothing refined.  Just the stuff that comes from the Earth to me with few steps in between.  Clean.

As for working out, I run and practice yoga.  This January, I'm keeping myself motivated by running in the Broad Street Run, so I need to train.  I've never run a long distance race before, so this is going to take some training.  Not to mention I haven't run since late October and I don't own a treadmill, it's all outside.  My goal is clock in 120 miles by Valentines Day, then focus on speedwork and kick in the real training.  My yoga practice has been even more neglected than my running.  I used to practice 3-4 times a week for 1.5 hours each.  I was strong, flexible, had no back problems, and felt great.  Unfortunately, I let that slip a lot, but I'm starting this year right.  I went to a one hour class yesterday and man am I sore!  I love being able to feel the muscles I've worked the day before.  I feel it in my whole arms, shoulders, chest, neck, back, glutes and obliques.  My abs and legs get worked when I run, so those don't hurt today.  Next time I'll go to the 1.5 hour class and hopefully I'll feel that in my legs, too.  So far so good!

Another thing that I haven't focused on over the holidays is a.muse!  After working 3 big events in the 6 weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, then traveling twice in late November and then getting ready for Christmas and New Year's, I really took some extended time off from my business.  In some ways I needed it because I would otherwise burn out, but really I can't wait to get back to putting on some work clothes and hitting the city for some meetings!  I've made some great connections this past year and am really looking forward to where my company can go.  It really is like a child, you birth this business with an idea in your head, then it slowly takes on a life of it's own.  I'm finding that a.muse has her own idea of what she wants and I just love watching her grow up! 

The last thing I want to be sure I do more of this year is write, and there are two primary places I need to focus on, this blog and my gratitude journal.  I'm committing to writing 3 times a week about the life of a.muse, and everyday writing in my gratitude journal.  I choose 5 things everyday that I am thankful for and write them down in a journal.  It really changes your focus in life and makes you notice more in your daily life.  I start finding myself acknowledging moments during the day as "this is going in my gratitude journal." It's a great way to live.

Okay, so that's my new start.  My New Year's Wish is that  everyone starts focusing on their own goals in this new year and we can all be better today than we were yesterday.  And keep checking back, I'll be writing 3 times a week!

Gratefully,
Sue

Running Tips for Beginners

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Running

1.  Not every run will feel like a good one, but a even a bad run is better than no run.  Just do it.

2.  The right music will help you immensely.  I created a running playlist that is paced to exactly a 10 minute mile that I use for any of my standard runs.  More on my playlists in a later post.

3.  But sometime change it up.  Sometimes I choose to run while listening to an interesting interview.  I download Fresh Air podcasts from NPR and listen to interviews with someone fascinating.  I've learned so much doing this and it makes the time fly.

4.  Wear the right clothing.  Make sure you have enough support in you support top, make sure your shorts don't chafe, make sure your shoes are in good shape.  As soon as you have a clothing malfunction, your run stops being fun.

6.  Check your posture.  At the beginning of every song, I relax my shoulders, tighten my abs, engage my glutes, look forward and smile.  Relaxing the shoulders keeps the tension out of your neck, tightening the core keeps your back from hurting, engaging the glutes is just good form, looking up keeps the lungs open, and smiling reminds you to enjoy yourself.

7.  There is a moment, for me about 15 minutes into the run, where I start to feel like this run is going to suck, I just can't get through it, but if I push through that feeling, I get to a place that I feel like I can keep running for days.  Knowing that now, I anticipate it and look forward to it. 

8.  Sometimes I'm running to vent out some frustration or think through a problem, and I run on a path with other runners and bikers, etc.  These are the times I don't feel like smiling and waving because I'm just in my own head, so I wear sunglasses and a hat and just go.  It helps so much to get through something this way.

9.  Sign up for races, it keeps you on target.  I'm such a goal oriented person, that I have to have something that I'm working for.  I sign up for races, one long one a ways away to train for, and a few short ones leading up to keep me honest.  I am much more likely to make the time to run if I have a race coming up that I need to be prepared for.

10.  Warm up before, stretch after.  I walk to my path, and walk briskly, then give myself the first mile at a slow pace before I kick in the real run, then after, I do a lot of stretching.  My stretch routine in a future post...

There you have it.  Now go get running!