An eye opener for me...

Reflecting...
As I sit here, I am looking at what I've written below.  I gave into temptation, I rarely said no to lots of mindless eating, and I am truly floored.  My last journal entry was 18 days ago, and after reading what I just wrote, I am happy to say that the holidays may have gotten me then, but I'm taking charge and starting new.  I hopped back on the treadmill again, eating responsibly, and being more mindful.  A true eye opener...

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!  Keep exercising, eating mindfully, and enjoying life...
Jill

PS - Stop here if you don't want to read what I ate for 11 days...YOWZERS!

Friday, December 20th

Late Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee and creamer

Lunch:  cheese and crackers; chocolate brownie; strawberry (interesting combo)

Snack:  I needed to make a second batch of meringue cookies and they totally flopped but still tasted amazing.  So I had probably 4.  Bad...

Before holiday party drink:  Dirty Martini with blue cheese olives

Party:  2 sausage balls that were amazing and I'm totally getting the recipe; 2 pieces of fudge; buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips; taco dip with tortilla chips; 2 beers; 2 shots of Rum Chata

Saturday, December 21st

Breakfast:  Same 'ol same 'ol

Snack:  Cookie?  Why?  Mind you this is almost a month after writing this.  What the heck?

Lunch:  2 egg white and 1 egg scrambled eggs with cheese; 2 pieces of cinnamon raisin toast; cookie

Dinner:  We went to Salseria in Elmhurst and I had the chopped salad (so good); chips and salsa; and a Corona Light

Late night drink:  We came home from dinner, put the kids to bed, and watched a couple movies.  The first was The Conjuring and the second, The Internship.  So happy it was in that order and both really good. If you're up for a ghost story based on real life events...see The Conjuring.  I don't think I ever blinked!  Oh and I had a Raspberry Wheat Beer too.

Sunday, December 22nd

Workout:  I attended Vince's Circuit Interval class that morning and loved it.

Breakfast:  The same and a couple cups of coffee.

Lunch:  We went to Jersey Mike's and I had the mini turkey sandwich and salt 'n vinegar chips; tea.  I always order the mini.  It's plenty big.  If I order the regular size, normally I save half and eat it later.

Snack:  2 Cookies (ugh...)

Dinner:  Tilapia; brown rice; southwest salad in the bag from Jewel; corn; water

Dessert:  4 cookies - OMG...don't you ever think that the more you eat, the faster they'll be gone!!??  Why don't I toss them?

Late night drink:  Apple Ale

Monday, December 23rd

Breakfast:  The one I always eat...

Snack:  Mini Nut roll LunaBar

Lunch:  Leftover southwest salad from the night before; banana; 2 cookies (go away!!!)

Afternoon:  Coffee with creamer

Dinner:  Mamma Maria's is a great restaurant in Bensenville!  We had a friend come in from out of town and that's where he wanted to eat.  I had a bowl of soup, 4 squares of pepperoni pizza, 2 pieces of bread with olive oil and Parmesan, and tea.

Tuesday, December 24rd

Workout:  It's tradition for FITT-RX to hold a 12 Days of Christmas Workout.  I pick 12 exercises.  You will do 12 reps of the first, then 11 reps of the second.  Return to 12, do 11, then add in 10...you repeat this process until you hit the last day of Christmas.  I play holiday music and it's super fun.

Here's the workout to share with you:  Duration:  50 minutes
12 - reverse crunches
11 - prisoner squats
10 - grasshoppers (20 total)
9 - plank with tricep kickbacks (both sides)
8 - snatch jacks with a dumbbell
7 - walking plank (14 both arms)
6 - burpees
5 - single leg calf raises (both legs)
4 - tuck jumps
3 - 30 seconds of hip raises
2 - 1 minute side plank (both sides)
1 - 1 minute plank - alternate knee to same side elbow

Breakfast:  You already know, but if you've forgotten...Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee

Lunch:  Spinach salad with low calorie dressing; 2 pieces of cinnamon raisin toast

Snack:  Cookies...they should almost be gone by now.

Christmas Eve dinner with the kids and Wade - 2 crab legs; 3 oz. of steak; roasted broccoli; salad; and 2 beers.

Wednesday, December 25th  Merry Christmas!

Late Breakfast:  It's always been tradition that Wade enjoys cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.  It's usually been tradition that I forget that it's his tradition!  AHHHHH!!!!!  So here I go making homemade cinnamon rolls from frozen bread dough, and they tasted damn good!  I had 1 while the rest of the troops gobbled the rest up.  I, of course, had my usual...

Snack:  banana

Christmas dinner at Wade's aunt's house:  2 pieces of ham; jello mold; mashed potatoes; a piece of triple berry pie (yum!); plain M&M's; 2 beers; water

Late snack:  His aunt made amazing fudge and of course I had a couple small pieces.

Thursday, December 26th

Workout:  Taught boot camp this morning and participated.

Breakfast:  The usual...

Workout #2:  I participated in Carrie's TRX Boot Camp which was tough, a real sweat session...

Lunch:  We had leftover Italian bread, so I cut a couple small pieces and made a ham and cheese sandwich. Wade received blocks of cheese over the holidays, so I had a couple slices of Cheddar cheese, and the heel of the Italian bread.  I love the heels!!!

Snack:  Fudge and 2 cookies

Dinner:  Chicken breast; pasta; spinach salad; fudge

Friday, December 27th

Breakfast:  The usual...

Lunch:  Ham and cheese sandwich with an apple.

Dinner:  Turkey burger with pickles and ketchup; homemade potato chips; and an apple

Early into the evening we took the kids to Brookfield Zoo for their Zoo Lights Festival.  Our first time there and it was absolutely beautiful.  Better yet, the nocturnal animals we usually never see, or they are sleeping were active and alert which was cool.  I had a hot chocolate.

When we got home, I had a beer and some popcorn.

Saturday, December 28th

Breakfast:  Same as usual

Lunch:  I had a tiny ham and cheese melt.

Snack:  apple with PB2

Later snack:  Small bowl of my usual cereal with frozen blueberries.  This small bowl is probably the serving they count as 1 serving...my morning bowls are probably a serving and a half.

Dinner:  We out to dinner at Francesca's with some friends, and what's to come is nothing to be proud of. AHHHHH......  We started out with a few pieces of calamari, followed by seafood risotto (so good).  I thoroughly enjoyed 3 Blue Moons over the course of our time there.  We then headed out to Fitz's Spare keys, and this is where it all went downhill.  Tonight at Fitz's was Vince's birthday get together...so, so fun. While there, I had 2 Coor's lites, a lemon drop shot, and an IPA beer called Anti Hero.

Anti-Hero IPA - click to read and I blame this beer to my crazy hangover the next morning

Lastly, my girlfriend was craving chili cheese fries.  I so wish I would've taken a picture, but this plate was ginormous and we devoured them like savages...no forks...just fingers.  YUM...and probably made my next morning a little better.

Sunday, December 29th

Breakfast:  My usual...

Lunch:  Wade and I went to the Bears game today.  Lots of fun when the cold air healed my achy head from the night before.  The food is always great.  We tailgate with friends who have a theme every game that coincides with our opponent.  Today we played the Packers, so we had veal brats.  If you've never had one, you should...they are so good.  

So here's my food and drink for the tailgate...

Chips/Guacamole; 2 crackers with smoked salmon; 1/2 veal brat on a bun; brownie (nobody cut into the brownies and I was dying for one.  Chocolate is my enemy...so I cut in and enjoyed:)  As far as drinks, I drank a lot of water.  I was feeling much better so instead of beer, I was introduced to a new type of shot to try.  Take Fireball Whiskey and add a bit of Rum Chata.  So good!  They called them Cinnamon Toast Crunch shots...I had 2.  They also had Jello shots...the alcohol sunk to the bottom so I literally had the jello on top and kept the alcohol at the bottom.  During the game, I did have 1 beer.

Bears lost...season over...Can't wait for August!

Honestly, I didn't write down anything after that, but I'm guessing we did eat when we got home.

Monday, December 30th

Breakfast:  The usual...

Snack:  Cashew Cookie Lara Bar

Lunch:  2 egg white/1 egg omelet with spinach, ham, green pepper, onion, cheese and milk; 1 piece of cinnamon raisin toast.

Dinner:  turkey sausage; brown rice; southwest chopped salad; water

Dessert:  A small handful of Reese's pieces.  I gave the rest to the kids to polish them off.  Get them out of here!!!

Monday, December 31st

Breakfast:  Sometimes when I'm low on my cereal, I polish off what's left and I'll mix with another.  In this case it was Wheaties.

Lunch:  Subway Seafood 'n Crab Salad with a ton of veggies; seasonings; and a bit of oil and vinegar.

Snack:  Blueberry almond clusters from Costco

While getting ready for a New Year's Eve party we were heading to later, Jen texted me a picture of crab claws she was taking to a party.  I remembered loving them at our FITT-RX Holiday party, and had a strong feeling I didn't journal them.  Nope...I didn't...so I am now.

New Year's Eve Party

We always head to Naperville on New Year's Eve.  Our friends have an annual party and we turn it into a sleepover.  Our entire family comes (even the dog this time) and they are wonderful enough to put up with us for about 18 hours.  HA!

At the party, I ate:

chips/guacamole; chocolate sausage (different, yet tasty), crab dip with bread; crackers with cheese dip; 2 chocolate truffles; 2 small apple pastries (made by me, well actually a friend, because I forgot the brie); a small handfull of chocolate pretzels; 3 beers and 2 mixers.

AND I"M DONE...

X-Rated Holiday Fun?

Saturday, December 14th

Breakfast:  In case you forgot...Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; almond milk; frozen blueberries; coffee with pumpkin spice creamer.

Lunch:  Southwest Salad (the bag from Jewel) and I added chicken.  I ate maybe a 1/3 of the bag, and I never put the full amount of dressing on.

Snack:  Ate about a tablespoon of Nutella right out of the jar

Dinner:  We had our FITT-RX Holiday Party.  Tons of really great food...mostly appetizers

I consumed:  5 beers (why don't I just get it out there), 2 potato skins with sour cream; 2 crackers with cheese; 3 crackers with this awesome blueberry cheese roll thing; 3 apple slices with baked brie; 4 chips and quacamole; a handful of dark chocolate pretzel crisps; a handful of chocolate popcorn; a few veggies dipped in a jalapeno yogurt dip; 2 pieces of pizza.  All over the span of 4 1/2 hours or so.

Secret Santa gifts were brought anonymously and we all picked numbers to see who got to go first. Basically, 1 goes, then 2, yada, yada, yada...but there are options to steal gifts.  Gifts could be stolen up to 2 times, and if yours got stolen you could steal someone else's or pick from the land of unopened gifts. Any who, I stole some scented soaps to which then they got stolen.  So I chose to pick from the pile of unopened gifts.  I see this beautiful velvety feeling red box.  Looks so beautiful, PURE, and innocent.  It is begging my name.  As I open...here is what I get.

Balls Key chain

Tampon Flasks

Midget Man Love Doll that is NOT wearing underwear

I see these amazing, wonderful, HORRIBLE gifts and the first thing I do of course if blow up the doll!  Yes, he IS amazing...NOT!  But it was a good laugh, and the commentary during the blow up process was priceless.  Thanks, y'all!  I promise this gift will be traveling...so we'll see who gets it next!

We hang for a while, then head over to the Snuggery to meet friends for a drink (Vodka Tonic).  We only stayed for a few minutes, because we had an early morning the next day.

December 15th

We get up early and off we go to my son's hockey game in Hoffman Estates.  To get the troops rolling we promise Dunkin' Donuts to jump start their engines.  A success...

Breakfast:  Dunkin' Donuts Sesame Bagel with cream cheese and a coffee with skim milk.  Now let me tell you...they slather on cream cheese.  Holy cow...I always ask for just a little bit of cream cheese, but they never listen.  I bet there was close to a 1/4 cup of that stuff on the bagel.  I scrape most of it off and eat it.  It wasn't very good.  :(

Lunch:  1/2 Nutella and banana sandwich

Dinner:  Baked Pasta and an apple

Dessert:  I baked my Christmas cookies today.  12 dozen lemon zest cookies, and a couple dozen meringue cookies.  I ate 3 of the first and 2 of the second.  Oh, and let's not forget the lemon zest cookie dough. LOVED...I will stop at that.

December 16th

Breakfast:  The "usual"

Snack:  Apple

Workout:  Today, I worked out alone at the studio.  A rare occurrence, but much needed.

Tabatas:  Box jump burpees/Rowing; Bike/Push ups;Battle Ropes/Mountain Climbers; Plank.  Then 1 set of assisted pull-ups; side planks (1 minute each side), and 4 v-sits (20 secs each).  Workout lasted approximately 30 minutes.

Lunch:  Rotisserie chicken; brown rice; grape tomatoes

Snack:  Nuts over Chocolate Luna Bar

Dinner:  My husband's work party was at a Chicago Bulls game.  We were in a box which meant....THE DESSERT CART!!!!!  Love, love, love...the dessert cart.  I had pulled pork (no bun), potato chips and these amazing dips they serve, a small helping of macaroni and cheese; amazing salad (most of my plate), and a chicken wrap.  During the game, I had 3 beers and a couple bottles of water.  To top it off...look below.  I ate 1/2 of it.  The piece was monstrous.

Yes, that piece of carrot cake IS the size of the basketball court.

December 17th

Breakfast:  The usual

Snack:  Apple

Lunch:  Rotisserie chicken; brown rice; grape tomatoes

Dinner:  Chicken Quesadillas and 3 meringue cookies

I always drink water, but never write down how much.  I need to be better and watching my water intake.

December 18th

Breakfast: You know...

Lunch:  Jen and I went to NU Crepes and split the BBQ Chicken and the B5.  The B5 is a breakfast one that's on the "healthier" side.  I'm sure still loaded with calories with the actual crepe.

Snack:  Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a piece of string cheese

Dinner:  My usual breakfast and 2 meringue cookies.  Those cookies are soooooo good.  Dang!

December 19th

Breakfast:  same

Lunch:  I met some friends for lunch at Pazzi di Pizza.  It's located in Elmhurst and really good if you want to catch a great lunch or dinner sometime.  I had some bread with olive oil, a veggie panini and a side salad. Oh, and I got talked into (peer pressure) a glass and a half of wine.  

Snack:  An apple with peanut butter

Indulgence:  3 meringue cookies....CRAP!!!

Dinner:  That night I participated in a cookie exchange.  I bring 13 dozen, I bring home 13 dozen.  This is where my blog goes downhill.  My goal is to get rid of these as quickly as possible before I eat everything!!! At dinner, I had a small piece of a chicken enchilada roll, salad, and a couple really good turkey, cheese, and cranberry quesadilla triangles.  I had 2 beers and some caramel and cheese popcorn.  Then, I go home and taste test 4 different cookies!

Done for the evening...stay tuned...
Jill

Elf brought crap...

Tuesday, December 10th

It is the holidays after all, and our elf, Bob, decides to do silly things.  What he did today is NOT silly.  In fact, he broke a huge rule in our house...he bought POP TARTS!  Now my kids know that they get Pop Tarts only when we are in a hotel.  That's it.  Well this bugger brought them to my kids today!

Bonus points if anyone knows whose Christmas card is under the box!

Workout:  I participated in the 5:40am boot camp with our FITT-RX clients.

Breakfast:  Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee; pumpkin spice creamer

Lunch:  I polished off the leftover lasagna.  I couldn't leave a 1/2 portion in the 9X13 pan, so I opted to 1 big piece.

Snack:  Mini Cashew cookie Larabar

Workout:  I taught Boot Camp Express at 4:00, and had a blast participating with everyone!  They kicked ass.

Dinner:  I ate my cereal concoction (again...), and had an orange.

Late night snack:  Popcorn

Wednesday, December 11th

Bob, our Elf, decided it would be a great idea to bring the kids Nutella from the North Pole.  Mom doesn't buy it, so he did.  Just an FYI - my son decided to put an order in for the next day...potato chips.  Won't happen...

Not our elf, but of course if you google it, you'll find an elf with Nutella!  And what's up with the cat?

Breakfast:  Yes, you all know...

Lunch:  I had a Green Monster smoothie.  My Green Monsters are mixed in my food processor.  Throw in 2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used chocolate PB2 today), 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1 cup almond milk, and 3 cups spinach (I only had 1 cup or so this time).

Workout:  Jen and I went to Flywheel Chicago for a Spin Class.  Super cool place in the Gold Coast that kicked my butt.  It was 45 minutes of me trying to keep up with everyone else.  No Joke!  I bet I was consistently 20-30 RPM's behind every time he asked us to ramp it up.  WOW...can you say "leg burn?"

Snack after the workout:  Apple

Snack:  Chocolate Peppermint Stick Lunabar; string cheese

Later snack because I was starving:  I dipped pretzels in cream cheese and strawberry basil jelly.  It's awesome and usually supposed to be an appetizer for a party.  Not this time!

Dinner:  A piece of pork roast with brown rice and brussel sprouts.

Dessert;  Mint chip ice cream

Thursday, December 12th

Breakfast:  Same

Morning Snack:  Peanut Butter Cookie Mini Larabar

Workout:  TRX with Carrie and a workout with Vince. Nice double workout today!

Lunch:  Due to my double workout, I found it appropriate to eat a Nutella Banana Sandwich on whole grain break.  Better yet, I only ate a half sandwich.  It was amazingly good!

Dinner:  Leftover pork with brown rice.  Our neighbor shared some of their freshly made gingerbread.  It was awesome!  I had one piece.

Late night snack:  Pretzels with cream cheese and strawberry jam.

Friday, December 13th

Breakfast:  Same as always

Lunch:  Rotisserie chicken (maybe a cup's worth) apple; piece of gingerbread

Snack:  Coconut Chocolate LunaBar

Not sure what happened this afternoon, but apparently what's written down is Blue Moon, Henry Weinhards beer, Pirate's Booty.  Perhaps, a late afternoon snack on a Friday??

Dinner:  Chipotle Sofritas bowl made "My Way", and iced tea; a piece of Gingerbread

Later that evening:  3 pieces of Two Brother's pepperoni pizza...I blame my husband.

The food log from this day was definitely a Friday the 13th!

ET and DA BEARS!

December 6th

Breakfast:  Same ol', same ol'  Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee; pumpkin spice creamer.

Workout:  TRX Boot Camp aka another beating from Jen

Lunch:  Kale Smoothie from Mariano's and a caramel apple sample that was the size of half my pinky finger.

Snack:  S'mores Luna Bar

Dinner:  Tator Tot Casserole (2 helpings cause I made it AWESOME!)  It was a combination of mixed veggies, chicken, and cheese topped with Tator Tots.  Water

Impulsive move:  15 Reeses Pieces;  I believe the last time I ate Reese's Pieces, ET was still in the theatres!

Still cry every time...

That evening we had a Christmas party and we met friends beforehand for a couple drinks at Francesca's in Elmhurst.  I had 2 pieces of fried calamari (ate because it was staring at me), a very dirty martini, and a Texas Mule.  At the party, I had 3 beers.  Food wise, I indulged in 4 crackers with jelly and cream cheese (this concoction will show up in later posts), a handful of candied walnuts, a handful of chocolate pretzels with walnuts on top, and a brownie.  Have I mentioned I love sweets?

December 7th

Breakfast:  Same.  Shocker.  Tea (never drink tea, but it sounded better than coffee)

Lunch:  Apple with peanut butter; Turkey and cheese sandwich

Dinner and fun:  That day we went to see our friend play hockey at the Allstate Arena.  Afterwards, we headed to Toby Keith's in Rosemont.  Had 3 beers there, along with a 1/2 carrot (all that was left), a hot wing, mozzarella stick, and I think a fried zucchini.  Then we headed to a Mexican place nearby where I had a margarita, chips, salsa, guacamole (let's just say lots), and shrimp enchiladas, beans, and rice.

We headed back to Elmhurst and ventured into the Snuggery.  We ordered one of those whatdoyoucallit, tall thingys and polished it off together.  It was maybe 2 or 3 beers a person.

To cap off the evening, I ate 3 frosted sugar cookies that our sitter made with the kids.  So good!

December 8th

Late Breakfast:  blah blah blah

Snack:  Lemon Zest LunaBar (awesome)

Dinner:  Lasagna, southwest salad from Jewel, and a piece of Focaccia bread; 3 sugar cookies

Late night snack:  Orange

December 9th

Breakfast:  same

Lunch:  Leftover lasagna, southwest salad, and a piece of Focaccia bread.

Dinner:  We went to the COLDEST BEARS GAME I have EVER been to.

Thank God the company was great!  Bears win!

Before the game, I had amazing chili, one piece of great steak, about 8 chocolate peanut clusters (ugh), chips and guacamole (before it froze), and 3 beers.  At the game, I had 2 beers and hot chocolate.

Beer froze within minutes...no joke.  Went to the warm ladies room to thaw and drink it.

If I had to say anything about restarting my food journal, it's definitely making me eat more fruit and second guessing my food choice and amount I eat.

Enjoy your weekend!  

Jill

Holiday Food Journal, Chipotle, and a trip to McD's

What started the "IDEA"...

I've been journaling since December 3rd, and wasn't sure if it would actually make it to blog form.   I challenged myself to a Holiday Food Journal, and probably one of the dumbest (and smartest) things I ever considered.  Every time I do this to myself, my hope is that others will consider to do the same, or at least become more mindful eaters.  That's all.

Tuesday, December 3rd

Workout:  It was Tabata Tuesday at 5:30 am Boot Camp...I participated in maybe 80% of it.

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen raspberries and blueberries; almond milk (this will probably be the same breakfast every day...if it's different I will let you know.)

Coffee with Pumpkin Spice creamer.

Workout:  4.5 mile run

Lunch:  Jen and I went to NU Crepes and split The Blonde and The Cali (no ham); coffee with 1/2 & 1/2

Snack:  Greek yogurt with less than a tablespoon of honey

Dinner:  Turkey burger on bun; ketchup; pickles, and I cooked up some spinach with red peppers and salad dressing (oil spray so veggies wouldn't stick); 1 tator tot; water

Wednesday, December 4th

Breakfast:  yada yada yada

Elijah's Almond Cafe au Lait with skim milk (recommended by the owner and so good!)

Morning Snack:  apple

Workout:  Vince...for those of you who know...you'll appreciate...30 minutes of pure "fun".

Lunch:  Chili

Afternoon Snack:  Luna Bar Chocolate Nut Brownie

On the way to hockey practice:  I did a HUGE NO NO!  I picked up the kids from Religious Ed and forgot to pack a snack for the ride to hockey.  We (gulp) drove through the McDonald's drive thru.  I can honestly say that I do not remember the last time I did that.  Needless to say, the kids were happy.  I grabbed a iced vanilla coffee to go.

Dinner:  I grabbed whatever I had and mixed it together.  Ingredients:  Quinoa; turkey burger, cream of mushroom soup, and mixed vegetables.  Ate probably a cup of the meal, then mixed Chocolate PB2 together and dipped a banana in it.

Thursday, December 5th

Breakfast:  yep, same

Morning snacks:  banana; apple; blueberry Luna Bar; couple nuts, and a small piece of white chocolate

Lunch:  Sofritas bowl from Chipotle.  If you don't know about Sofritas...I love it.  Heck, even my husband liked it.

Let me share a little about a typical Chipotle experience.  It's typical for me, not sure how it is for you...here goes...

Before:  In a bowl, I would mix brown rice (they put a large amount in bowl), black beans (probably 1/2 the amount of the rice), chicken, fresh salsa, sour cream (they plop a huge amount all over what's already in), cheese (too much in my opinion), and quacamole (OMG...the serving is huge), and whatever lettuce they can fit in the bowl which is not a lot.  FYI:  Guessing the price of avocados has gone up since it used to be FREE.  Now you get charged.

After or in my words...Jill's Way...In a bowl I ask for a smaller amount of brown rice (maybe 1/2 cup), black beans (I say a lot and they'll put in about 3/4 cup), sofritas (tofu and it is the consistency of ground beef and tastes a bit like chicken with a spicy kick...good stuff), fresh salsa, a little sour cream (maybe a tablespoon), cheese (sprinkled on lightly), quacamole (maybe a 1/4 cup)...ticks me off that it costs the same amount, but it's sooooo much less of it, and lettuce (I get so much more, and usually ask them to put more on since there's more room in the bowl now.

Healthier and it's so good:)  You don't want to see my face when they put too much sour cream and guacamole on...has anyone seen my "look?"  Just ask my husband...or one of the guys at the studio.

Snack:  sugar snap peas (larger lunch always equals smaller snack, or vice versa)

That evening we had an event at Fleet Feet called Diva Night.  It was so much fun and the turnout was fantastic.  Kudos to Ashley and Jason for putting on such a great event for the deserving women of Elmhurst and surrounding communities.

Of course there was food and wine, and I did not have dinner yet.

Diva Night food and drink:  1 glass of red and 1 glass of white wine; 2 appetizer size tortilla wraps, 2 small pieces of cheese and 2 olives; crackers with hummus.  Appetizers are the devil...I pick and pick and pick and pick...

Later that evening, I headed over to a friend's house.  I had a couple beers, cheese, crackers, hummus, pretzel chips, and a chocolate chip cookie.

Not the best of nights, but not the worst:)

That's the end of what I'm sharing on this post.  I can guarantee you some interesting food choices, and with the holidays comes more alcohol.  YEP...I still can't believe I'm doing this.

Until next time...make healthy choices and get your workouts in!!!

Jill

Summer Date Night Fun Run Moment I Live For!

slack·er

 noun \ˈsla-kər\

Definition of SLACKER

1

: a person who shirks work or obligation; especially : one who evades military service in time of war

2

: a person and especially a young person who is perceived to be disaffected, apathetic, cynical, or lacking ambition

— slacker adjective

Well, I beg to differ that I'm a slacker, however keeping up with this blog has proven to be incredibly difficult.  The good news is that I actually did keep my food journal for most of the 2 weeks, but it was hard!

Let's trace my eating steps:

Wednesday, June 12th

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's (by that I mean non-fat creamer)

Lunch:  Apple and a Larabar

Snack:  Popchips

Dinner:  Spinach salad with low fat dressing; spaghetti with 2 meatballs; 2 beers

Evening Snack:  Peanut Butter Crunch Cliff Bar (not the best choice)

Thursday, June 13th

Breakfast:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's.

Run:  9.5 miles with a Cliff Shot at mile 5

Lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly on whole grain white bread; apple

Dinner:  Ham and Cheese on whole grain white bread; corn on the cob with a bit of margarine

Dessert:  Brain Freeze's awesome peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream in a cake cone.  Junior scoop!

Friday, June 14th (my mom's birthday!)

Breakfast:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's.

Lunch:  Chocolate Chip Cliff Bar; Apple

Dinner:  We had some friends over for dinner and I very much enjoyed a turkey burger on a bun with lettuce, onion, tomato, and ketchup.  My friend brought over this amazing green bean, olive salad, with other stuff that I can't remember.  AWESOME!  A few Wavy Lay's with French onion dip; chips 'n Mexican caviar from Costco; 3 (ugh!!!) MINI Red Velvet Cupcakes with frosting; one Sierra Mist with Effen Cucumber Vodka (amazing and a must try!); and 3 Redd's Ale introduced to me by my friend, Liz:)

Saturday, June 15th 

Disclaimer:  I'm reading this now, and all I can say is "huh??"

Breakfast:  Cliff Bar

Lunch:  Devoured the rest of the Green Bean Casserole from the day before.

Snack:  2 Red Velvet MINI Cupcakes (so tasty!)

We headed to a friend's house to watch the Hawks game and I'm a SUCKER for appetizers!

Appetizers for the evening...

Wheat Thins served with a cream cheese spread and Jalapeno Pepper Jelly; Chips 'n Mexican dip; 1 piece of DiLeo's Pizza; 1 mini cannoli; carrots and ranch; 4 beers; a chocolate pudding shot

YES!!  I will share the pudding shot recipe.

1  cup of whipped cream vodka

1 cup milk

1 packet of pudding mix (I used chocolate)

1 tub of cool whip

canned whipped cream for garnish (I omitted)

any other garnishes you might want

SQUEEZABLE paper shot cups

***If you are making pistachio, only use 3/4 cup vodka and add 1/4 cup of Amaretto  (garnish with whipped cream & crushed pistachio nuts) **

Sunday, June 16th (Father's Day)

Breakfast:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's (by that I mean non-fat creamer)

Lunch:  Scoops and Taco Dip; watermelon; sausage (no bun); potato salad; 2 Corona Lights

Dinner:  Potato Chips; carrots; tomatoes; Polish Sausage; lettuce salad; a small Scotcheroo ( I will not give the recipe, because you do not want to know the calories!); Leine's Summer Shandy and 2 Redd's Ales

Monday, June 17th

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's

Lunch:  Egg Harbor's Key West Crepes and they are great!  

Snack:  Apple and a Scotcheroo

Fleet Feet's Pub Run which I highly recommend!

Dinner:  I had a piece of pizza; a salted caramel chocolate thingy; and a beer

Tuesday, June 18th

Breakfast:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's

Lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly on whole grain white bread

Snack:  banana

Dinner:  Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk (can't get enough!)

Wednesday, June 19th

Breakfast:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's

Lunch:  1/2 of a seafood 'n crab Subway salad

Snack:  Luna Bar - White Chocolate Macadamia

Dinner of appetizers:  Chips 'n salsa; 7 grain Kashi Pita chips with cheese; a 312 beer and 2 Bud-A-Ritas (spelling???)

I should say that a few of these evenings have involved watching Chicago Blackhawks games!  And now I can clearly say that they are STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!

Thursday, June 20th

Breakfast:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's

Run:  9 miles of heat and humidity.  Enough said...

Lunch:  Meathead's no bun grilled chicken with roasted peppers, avocado, lettuce, pineapple, pickle, and tomato

Snack:  Chocolate Chip Cliff Bar and a coffee

Dinner:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk (I just can't get enough!)

Evening Snack I am so not proud of - Frozen Sugar Cookie Dough (Yes, I have those moments too!)

Friday, June 21st (this is where it all fell apart)

Breakfast:   Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk

Lunch and snacks:  no idea

Summer Date Night Fun Run:  The 3rd Fridays of the month from May thru September, Fleet Feet and FITT-RX get together, in conjunction with a restaurant in town for a run.  Last month we were at Doc Ryan's, and this time we were at Pints.  The idea is to get couple's out for a run together then have dinner and drinks afterwards.  We had a fantastic group and met quite a few new people:)  My favorite was listening to a girlfriend say to her boyfriend that she didn't know if she could go the entire 4 miles.  He encouraged her to finish, and SHE DID!!!  I was so excited for her!  Times like that make me smile, and keep me loving what I do for a living. BEST JOB EVER!

Dinner:  The Spartan Burger (substituted turkey burger) with waffle fries and a couple Summer Shandy's.  I had a hot wing, and somebody ordered these awesome cheese covered waffle fries and I couldn't resist not having a few.

I know I said I'd do it for 2 weeks, and I was supposed to go to June 24th.  It just didn't happen.  Life Happens.  It's all good, but writing the darn food down is so easy to do, yet so hard to remember sometimes.  Also know that I drink lots of water; not just beer:)  On a side note, I honestly can't remember the last time I drank skim milk.  I cut it out about the same time I quit drinking pop.

Today is Monday, July 1st, and I'll write down what I ate today.

Breakfast:  Pop Quiz!

Morning Treat:  Elijah's Iced Nonfat Chai Tea Latte

Lunch:  Egg Harbor's Joe's Healthy Skillet which has 490 calories.  Not bad!  The dry English muffin (with jam) was 180, fresh fruit, and water.

Snack:  Apple

Snack:  Skinny Pop while dinner was cooking.

Dinner:  Johnsonville 4 cheese brat; brown rice; lettuce salad with tomatos, cucumbers, croutons, and ranch dressing.  Let me just say that mixing the brown rice and brat was simply awesome!

Workouts of course are happening too!  Over this time period, I'm continuing to run 3 times a week due to an upcoming 1/2 Marathon; got my ass handed over to me at the studio with Miguel's Cardio Boxing Circuit; TRX; and joining in on a boot camp or 2.

Tonight at bedtime, my son came down to tell me his agenda for the morning:
"Mommy, I'm going to get up early and do 8 push ups, 6 sit ups, and 4 Burpees."  Atta boy!  Another proud moment!  Role modeling positive behaviors has its rewards!  Now I just have to tell him that's his first set.  He'll do 2 more after that!

Some clients have no idea...

Clients expect those in the fitness industry to be positive role models.  While true...do those in the fitness industry feel pressure to BE those positive role models?  I hope so!  HOWEVER, as "that person" I'll be the first to say that I do not live a life that is on nuts, berries, supplements, and greens.  Furthermore, I try really hard to get my workouts in, but some days it's just as hard as any everyday Joe or Jane.  I blame it on work and kids:)  LOVE BOTH, but they just get in the way sometimes.  HA!

With that said...while workouts can be missed, eating can go awry too.  And boy oh boy, I'm getting back on the saddle again.  I knew I fell off when I ate:

• a bowl of Lucky Charms at 10:00pm a couple nights ago
• making dinner for my family last night, and ate 2 pieces of leftover Armand's pizza as an appetizer 
• OH YES, when I finished the Puppy Chow left in our RAGNAR Relay van and didn't want to share it with my daughter
• UGH...and when I scarfed down chocolate chips with peanut butter filled pretzels

When I journal, those things may happen...but definitely not nearly as much.

OK...so what the heck am I saying here?  I'm saying that I'm jump starting my MINDFUL eating today and journaling for 2 weeks.  The last time I did 10 weeks and it about KILLED me.  But this short getting back on the horse type of journaling will help.

I'm going from Tuesday, June 11th to Monday, June 24th.

Tuesday, June 11th

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean Toasted Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with creme brulee syrup (sugar free) and french vanilla creamer (sugar free).

Lunch:  Chipotle Carnitas Bowl (I wanted chicken, but it was gonna take a couple minutes.)  On my bowls, I ask for a little brown rice, lots of black beans, little sour cream, little cheese, fresh salsa, lots of lettuce, and this time I had a little guacamole.  Iced tea with a lemon.

Snack:  Apple (remember my mantra...big lunch, light snack; light lunch, larger snack)

New to my regimen has been a women's multi-vitamin and fish oil.  After I turned 40, I decided it was time to start taking my vitamins.  I started putting the bottles on the window sill above the sink so I can SEE them.  I'm a huge out of sight, out of mind person so I need that visual to keep me from forgetting.  YES, I'm getting older...not old...older:)

Dinner: Breakfast for dinner.  1 egg, 2 egg white scrambled eggs (little skim milk) mixed with ham, green pepper, zucchini, onion, spinach, cheese, and a slice of avocado.  So good!  Drank my cocktail of Key Lime Sparkling water from Jewel mixed with Coconut La Croix.

OK, there's my first day...unless I have a snack later.  I promise to post if I do:)

Disclaimer:  This all came about when I offered to journal with a client.  Who wants to join in on the 2 week fun?  No need to tell me...just do it!!