HBBC Week #2 Recap

Week #2 of HBBC is in the books. I did well this week; although not as many workouts and points as last week. I did manage to increase my whole Freggies intake as opposed to just from whole fruit and veggie juice. And I did meet my goal. I want to build on this base and continue to meet my goals in the rest of the HBBC.

HBBC Week #2 Roll-Up: 
Miles Run/Walk: 4.07
Strength/Core Workouts: 3
Yoga Practice: 7
Group Cardio Workouts: 1
Days w/ Complete Freggies Intake: 7

Total Weekly HBBC Points: 36.57

Finishing up yoga, followed by foam rolling

Week 2 Goal: Practice at least 20 minutes of yoga daily

I managed to practice at least 20 minutes of yoga each day and I really do feel like it's slowly making a difference with the pinch in my back. I am focusing on opening up the hips and hamstrings and I think that is making the difference. I just have to keep it up this week. 

Surprise of the week: I started craving whole fruit again...as opposed to the gummi bears and sour patch kids that I've been craving. (not to say I haven't stopped craving those). We went to a party on Saturday and they had a huge fruit tray - I ate half of it and took the other half home (ok, that's a little dramatic). But it tasted SOOO good. So, I picked up some fresh berries at the store today and already ate a whole box of blackberries today. (I guess the baby likes fruit - good news)

Extremely dry-rotted straps=
no swimming today

Week 3 Goal: Swim! I decided a few days ago this would be my goal. I planned to start the week off right and swim after BodyPump this morning, but while putting my things together, realized my goggle straps had dry rotted! Yup, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't swum in over a year! So, I quickly ordered Matt and I some goggles tonight and we'll be back in the pool soon...hopefully I will be later this week so I can meet my goal! (I know I'll be relying on swimming in the next 4 months to help relieve some back pain and get some low-impact awesome cardio in).
Did you set and stick to any new goals this week? Have you found yourself actually craving your Freggies and not just eating them for points? :)

Healthy Breakfast in a (semi) Hurry

Ok, so, we all know breakfast in a HURRY can involve, well, to be honest, nothing - Bad Idea. Other, slightly better-for-us options could include:

• protein shake
• protein bar
• smoothie
• perhaps some whole lean protein, a piece of fruit, and a handful of nuts (nice quick option)

As I awoke this morning with just enough time to grab a Clif bar and run out the door to teach BodyPump, I left ME and Kel in the kitchen. Kel is always on the go and often eats breakfast at work, but ME was heading off to school and could have used a nice hearty, healthy breakfast! I felt guilty leaving him in the dust to fend for himself when, if I’d just gotten out of bed 10 minutes earlier, I could have given him a nice healthy send off - and Kelly too! (rewind the clock to 6 am when I heard my alarm go off and scrambled eggs with the lean turkey I already have browned sounded just SO HARD to put together!) 

When I returned from the gym, I whipped up an even faster breakfast so that next time I find myself lying in bed with this dilemma, I will choose to be a caring wife who chooses cooking breakfast for her husband over getting 6 more minutes of sleep! (now, don’t let me guilt you here, husbands are just as capable of cooking their own breakfasts, but sometimes, I like to pamper him...but to be fair, he often cooks me breakfast in bed. i.e. YESTERDAY! - now I feel even MORE guilt! ha!)

In about 5-6 minutes, here is what I threw together:

Eggs “Almost” Florentine

2 Eggs, fried over easy

2 Handfuls of raw baby spinach

2 oz. low sodium deli ham, sliced

Braggs Liquid Amino Acids

Cooking spray

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the spinach and stir occasionally until slightly wilted (If the spinach begins to stick to the pan, add some water or broth to the pan). Place wilted spinach on a plate and season lightly with the Liquid Amino Acids.  Spray the same skillet lightly with cooking spray. Add the ham and stir lightly, then push to the side to continue to heat through as you use the remainder of the pain to fry your eggs.

To plate: Add ham atop spinach, and place the eggs on top. Enjoy!

Yes, that's half-eaten! Don't judge!

Now, if you wanted some carbs for some nice energy, you could be cooking an easy pot of oatmeal at the same time as your Eggs! Again, I was too lazy for that today! ;)


~ Samara

magazine crazy

I'll admit it, Sam and I are magazine crazy!  We love looking at magazines.  My favorite time to catch up on all the home organization and fitness magazines out there is either at the airport, at the pool or when doing long cardio sessions in the gym.  I always keep the latest one  with me so I can pull it out and flip through a few pages while waiting....anywhere:) 

So, I have a tip for you guys, instead of throwing away all your magazines as soon as your read them or letting them pile up for ages and ages because you swear you are going back to look at article or recipe.  Try what I'm doing.  I have a large binder divided in three sections (or I suppose you could get three binders)  whenever I see exercises I like or want to remember, I clip out that page and put it in the binder. Now I have volumes and volumes of workout idea's!  Use the other sections for recipe idea's and decorating ideas.  I'll be honest that I never get around to decorating, but I do try the recipe's and I consult the exercise portion all the time!  Let me know what you think, would something like this be useful to you?  Does anyone else out there even still read magazines?

Get your Greens Here!

Collard Green Chips

1 Bunch Collard Greens, stems removed, sliced/torn into 2-3 inch pieces

Cooking Spray

Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray. Lay greens pieces in a single layer. Spray greens with spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30 minutes until sides just begin to crisp.

Variations: Kale and spice it up with crushed red peppers or Sriracha hot sauce.

See what to do with those greens stems next…

Light Super Greens Juice #1

½ cucumber

1 lime, peel and pith removed

6-8 collard greens stems

1 inch peeled fresh ginger

3 sticks of mint leaves

1 pear, sliced

Directions: Juice together in a juicer, pour over ice and drink immediately.

Benefits:

Lime: weight loss and digestive aid

Cucumber: Diuretic, and all sorts of healthy minerals, such as potassium

Collard Greens: Calcium that’s absorbed by the body almost as well as by dairy products, and antioxidant

Ginger: alleviates gastrointestinal distress, holds anti-inflammatory properties

Mint: rich in vitamins A and C

Pears: high in the antioxidants vitamin C and copper

This juice is light and refreshing. Perfect for summer. You can even make a spritzer, by adding club soda. I’ve turned to adding club soda to my water to help in curbing my craving for soda!