What's on the menu

Like I said yesterday, eating is so so vital to weight loss and maintenance.   So I will be posting a lot about food.  Here is today's menu:
Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg, 1/3 cup of homemade oatmeal.
Lunch:  Herbal Chicken Stir fry

-  I can't have any carbs, fruit, most veggies and sodium right now. (we'll discuss why another day)  So I was racking my brain on what to eat (that tastes good and how to cook it) and so I came up with this recipe which I fell in love with.  It's easy, easy, and so so healthy:

• two chicken breasts thawed
• two green peppers
• one large sweet onion
• 1/8-1/4 cup whipping cream 
• fresh oregano and rosemarry
• poultry seasoning
• extra virgin olive oil

Take your chicken and cube it. Put it in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil and 3 stalks of rosemary and 3 stalks of oregano (pick off the leaves and toss the stem/stalk) Cook until chicken is mostly done then add julianne onions and largely cut green peppers, add one more stalk of oregano and rosemary.  It's done when chicken is done and onions become soft, your peppers still need to have a slight crunch to them.  Pour whipping cream over top sprinkle with poultry seasoning (1/2-1 TB). Stir and serve. 
If you'd like you can serve in a tortilla or over long grain rice.  I just ate it plain and loved it.

Now dinner will be:
6oz. stake, asparagus, and a sweet potato



This meal plan is ultra delicious and ultra healthy.   Eating like this is enjoyable and will also keep us on track to loose some.
Eat up!

 

Operation CatWoman

Happy August everyone!!!  Most people are sad to see summer go, the tan, the pool  and all the fun stuff that goes with it.  It makes me a bit sad too but there is so much to look forward to, such as HALLOWEEN!
I love Halloween, and yes, I start planning for it in August. I need that long for all my devious planning.  Take a look at these pictures just to get an idea.

We always do family themes.  There so much more fun!  And I'm pretty thrifty so with few exceptions our costumes are homemade.

This year is no exception.  I just bought most of our supplies for...

Batman!
Batman will be played by my hubby.  Robin will be my oldest boy.  And I need some input here for my two-year-old boy; the Riddler or Alfred?
As for me, I'm CatWoman.
Part of my costume I already have...

Do you see the problem here?  These are small very tight pants. I do not want candy and pumpkins thrown at me Halloween night for being an embarrassment to society.
So we begin "Operation CatWoman."  i.e. getting into shape for my tight leather outfit.  Target areas: the booty, arms and abs.  But of-course the overall look will come together nicely as all areas are tighten and firmed.  I am 10 lbs away from my need-to-be at weight and 15 lbs away from my ideal "photo ready" body.
Friends we have 3 months!  3, that's totally doable for anyone.  This is my call to anyone out in the grand cyberspace that wants to loose weight.  Are you with me, do you want to do it?  How bad do you want it?  Are you willing to work for it?  Behave?
If you are then I welcome you to "Operation CatWoman"

Rule #1: You can ruin everything you work towards with one bad meal.
Take this for example:  one pound of fat = 3,500 calories, that has to be your deficit per week just to loose 1 pound.  Our goal needs to be about 1.5 per week to hit a goal of 15 lbs in 3 months.  Have you seen how many calories are in dessert, fried chicken, eating out?
So with rule #1 today you must commit to cut the cud.  You agree to no more sweets and fried food.  Got that?!  None, lock it up.  Throw it away, don't buy it don't have it in the house.  Halloween night we will be celebrating in our stunning costumes.

Now don't think that were going super nuts here.  Were are going to go in quick baby steps.  If you reach your first successful week at doping 1-2 lbs we will be rewarded by a 100 calorie treat.  I myself have a mint chocolate chip cookie waiting for me.  Our "cheats" must be shedualed for our plan work.  So if your with me good luck we will talk again soon. 

Resistance Bands - Upper Body

Wow, what a week.  We spent 4 hours in ER on Monday.  Near the end of my track workout my youngest boy got a small boulder to the head.  He's fine just needed to be stitched up.
But on to healthier things.  Here is a simple yet effective upper body workout for resistance bands. (more complex workouts available in the future)
Warm up for safety, do your reps (10, 15, or 30) repeat the whole thing 3 times.
I've just got the printable this time but if any one wants a demo video to see how to set up etc. let me know and I'll post it.

Enjoy the burn.

Low Carb Breakfast Burritos

There seems to be two prevailing diets out there in the health world right now, one being Low Carb and the other vegetarian.   I disagree with long term use of with both of these diets but eating with these ideals from time to time or a couple nights a week have large benefits.

So today I have for you Low Carb Breakfast Burritos.  This recipe makes about 7 burritos.  We ate them for dinner and then I froze the rest.  I like to have a stock of healthy food on hand so when I'm super hungry or running behind schedule I can still eat right. (and yes they still tasted good after a week in the arctic;)

Brown 16oz. of ground chuck with 1.5 TB of Basil, 1.5 TB of Crushed Red Peppers. You can use whatever ground meat you'd like, chuck is one of the more healthier options so that is what I used. 

So these spices are going to flavor our meat like sausage.  I like spicy food so I also added some sprinkles of Mrs. Dash Extra spicy.  Don't be afraid of this, it wasn't too spicy.   It was still mild enough for my kids to have.  But if your nervous about the spice you can omit that.

Next scramble an egg for each burrito you plan on.  Dice some tomatoes and cilantro. Cilantro is one of the miracles of this recipe I would highly recommend not skipping it!

Now time to fill. Get your tortillas, you can use wheat or regular.  Fill with a large 1/4 cup of meat, then 1/7th of the eggs. Pile on top the tomatoes and cilantro.  And finish off with 2 TB of Mexican cheese blend. 

Now roll 'em top with salsa and eat 'em.  Or If you really want these to "pop" after you roll them grill them on med-high heat in your frying pan until golden brown on each side.  This really makes them taste amazing.

I never told my taste testing crew that it was not sausage in the burritos, and they never questioned!  Reduced so much sodium, and artery clogging gunk by doing that.  Enjoy!

P.S. Some exciting news  "Advendtures of FitMom" is getting a makeover!  We are going to be making some changes around here.  Were going to do what I tell my clients, do it better, and harder.  So were going to try to do just that.  Were planning some great stuff I hope you enjoy.  So don't be alarmed when things start to look different around here.  Our last day to have the changes done is by August so stay tuned!

Resistance Bands-Lower Body

OK, here it is your lower body resistance bands workout!  It's simple but can easily be altered for all fitness levels.

Beginners: Use a light resistance band, aim for 10 reps each side on every exercise.

Intermediate: Use medium to heavy bands, aim for 15 reps each side on every exercise.

Advanced: Use heavy bands, aim for 30 reps each side on every exercise.

Every one repeat the entire sequence 3 times (3 sets), don't for get to warm up and cool down.

I put in a demo of a short warm up, each exercise and a cool down/stretch so you understand how to set up and perform each exercise.  Once you feel like you've got a handle on them print off the work out and get firmed up!

Also for those who really want to push it you can add cardio intervals in-between each exercise.

Print this so you can remember the routine.

 Hope you enjoy this!

Photo Ready Smile

Hope everyone had a great 4th!

Mine was kinda crazy.  I was just getting over pertussis (whooping cough) when I had a two day notice for a photo shoot.
To go from PJs and sheet wrinkles on my face to "I feel great and glamorous" Yikes!
But did it I did. I was so amazed at how everything turned out.  Specifically my teeth.  My teeth were white!  This was new for me, usually for print work my teeth need Photoshopped.  But they passed.  I was really excited.
How did they pass?
OnGaurd Toothpaste by doTerra.
 I don't like whitening treatments and products because I feel they don't work and not worth the extra expense.  Then the really expensive ones ($199-$399) at the Dentists or prescribed at-home bleach tray kits ($250-$350) can only be done every so often because they can be damaging to tooth enamel and cause sensitivity.  All of this (especially the price) I did not want.

No Photoshopping on either-this is real!

But about two months ago I was given a tube of this "All Natural Whitening" toothpaste.  After my first brush I loved the stuff.  I didn't think it would work for whitening but I just loved how clean my teeth got.  It feels like you've just left the Dentist for a cleaning.  All polished and antiseptic clean. It really feels like you've mouth washed, but with out Any pain or stinging.
You guys got to try this.  And now seeing the results from it, I love it so much more.  We work hard to be healthy and have a great body, we need a great smile to show it off with.
It is a bit more expensive than traditional toothpaste, but is incredible worth it for the extra benefits. If your interested here is where it can be purchased:
http://www.mydoterra.com/efficientbody





Also here is a review on resistance bands.  Our next few posts will be workouts for you to do all done with bands.  So get educated and then come workout with me.

 

(sorry the audio wasn't the best)

Backyard Water Park

I love summer! There is so much outdoor fun that makes living an active lifestyle so easy.  But when the heat comes what to do?  Run inside and wait for fall? No way!
Water is the answer.  Pools and water parks are the best way to stay active and beat the heat, but sometime the bill for those can add up.  SOOOOO make your own water park in the back yard.

For about $15 I've got the supplies to do water fun for years.  All you need is some foam noodles with hallow centers (these sale for $1 a piece), some duct tape long plastic stakes or chop sticks or long screws, hose and sprinkler.

Place a stake in the ground and put the noodle hole on it.  Then  put in another stake and arch the noodle over and connect it.  Don't put them too far apart or there won't be enough room to crawl through.
Voila!  That's one. Repeat with as many noodles as you'd like.  And place them in whatever pattern you think would be fun.
I liked using 4 and making a continuous tunnel.
Now position your sprinkler so it gets the tunnel wet.

Then with any remaining noodles place a plastic stake or a toilet paper roll cut down the center into the hole and connect to the other end creating a "ring."   Then secure with duct tape.

These add to the fun. You can throw them around. Who can throw it the farthest? Or play ring-toss on the sprinkler.  Ring-toss on the kid- that's fun too.
Also you can put re-barb or a stick in the ground and put only  one end of the noodle in so it sticks up in the air and do ring-toss on that too.
You can joust with the noodles.

Now that you've created your own water park fun don't sit on the sidelines!  Play with your kids, burn calories, laugh, share an experience with them.
Chasing is always fun.  We did obstacle races too.  Run to the tunnel, crawl through a designated color, jump over the sprinkler and run back.
The possibilities and fun are endless.  ENJOY!




Hey guys, this month is reader appreciation! I want to hear what health and fitness related topics do you want.  More hair? More food? You name it.  I want to thank you for reading and leaving comments (like the support and motivation you left a few weeks ago, thank you, thank you).  So it's your chance to get a post just for you!  You can leave a comment below or email me: Jamie@efficientbody.com