On the homefront, I'm finding that there's so much to be thankful for. As I continue to truck along this "journey" to being the most healthy "me" that I can be (seriously, it's beginning to feel a little more like Oregon Trail than just a cute little journey), I'm trying to take time to recognize the moments I'm fortunate enough to have with friends and family who support this healthy lifestyle. The group of girls I've grown close to over the course of the past few months have been so influential in my recent success - new classes, seemingly impossible bootcamps and girls' nights that don't have to involve deep fried food and beers are so much easier when you're surrounded by life-minded people who both provide motivation and feed off the positive energy you exude. Despite the way-too-many margaritas a couple of us drank this weekend, I have no doubts that come tomorrow, I'll be back to being held accountable for my eating choices and signing up for workouts to keep us going through the week. Weight loss and staying healthy in a society that makes deep fried macaroni and cheese so readily available (yes, I ate some today) is such a challenge - surrounding yourself with the right people is instrumental to your success, no doubt about it.
That seemingly impossible bootcamp I got the guts to try? Hurts. So. Good. Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m., and the temperature in my car already read 82 degrees outside, which is just oh-so-perfect for an outdoor bootcamp. Not. From the moment we set off on our warmup jog, I knew I'd be driving the struggle bus the entire hour. From running up hills multiple times to box jumps, planks and the hardest tricep dips this world has ever seen, we sweat through the hour together, encouraged one another and kept telling ourselves that this hour would merit the drinks to be had later. Hard does not begin to explain that hour. But I wanted, and still want, a challenge, and I have no doubt I'll be back the next chance I get.
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| Post-bootcamp, feeling sweaty and strong, and ready for recovery salads at Piada! |
As the upcoming week is upon us, I've made an attempt at making it as easy as possible. It'll be a busy week for both of us, and the easier I can make the eating and exercise plan, the better off I'll be. I tried my hand at making my own salad dressing this week, something I've never done before. I know it's simple, but buying a bottle at the grocery store is even easier. I have been struggling on the lunch front (still) and needed something easy and delicious that would last me all week. I adapted my salad (and dressing) from this recipe over at Garden Grazer - it's a Southwestern chopped salad with a creamy cilantro lime dressing. I love cilantro. I love lime. And when I made this dressing tonight, even Rob got excited to eat salads all week (yes, really). I didn't have white vinegar so I just omitted it, and I totally used more lime juice than what the recipe calls for, but mannnn this shit is delicious. I pre-prepped black beans, corn, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and avocado to assemble throughout the week, and tomorrow I'll grill some chicken to throw in too. Can. Not. Wait.
This week involves lots of wedding festivities for my best friend, wedding planning on my own and meals need to be as simple as possible. Also, in an attempt to improve our grocery budget, I've also made attempts at utilizing ingredients in multiple recipes throughout the week. Here's what's going on:
Sunday
BLT wraps with avocado (this has become a staple for us - a delicious, fresh staple)
Monday
Crockpot buffalo chicken sandwiches, vegetables
6 mile run, Turbokick
Tuesday
Emily Bites "Pizza Logs" (first use of egg roll wrappers this week!)
Turbo Circuit
Wednesday
Buffalo Chicken Rolls (using leftover buffalo chicken, second use of egg roll wrappers!)
Zumba and/or run
Yes, those are the only things I have planned this week. The end of the week will be filled with probably two more runs, but dinners will be out and I'll have to do my best to eat and exercise accordingly. So excited to celebrate all these wonderful things in the upcoming months, and I hope I can take time to focus on the moments of happiness and make food secondhand to the celebration (food, secondhand? I know, seems like a suicide mission).
Oh, and I have been low on good things to blog about. I've done my best to stop bitching about stuff I cannot control (ie, stupid grocery shoppers and bad drivers), but I'm 100% open to writing about things YOU want to hear about. So if there's something you're interested in, let me know! In the meantime, I'll keep talking about food. Shocking.
Have a great week, friends!!
I tried to comment on this last night from my phone, but it didn't work...
ReplyDeleteFirst, your salad sounds awesome! I may have to give that a try next week.
Second, like I've told you a million times before, thanks for creating this awesome group of girls that we are a part of--we'd just be individuals without you, but together we are an awesome support system and I truly believe any of us can do anything we set out too. Plus, we've made some great friendships!