Fruit & Peanut Butter English Muffin

I love breakfast.  I especially love bagels.  Big bagels.  With cream cheese.  Lots of cream cheese.

While I have no intention of completely cutting big bagels with lots of cream cheese from my diet, I figured it was time that I started adding slightly healthier mixes into my breakfast diet.  I realize that drinking a smoothie or eating a piece of fruit would be a healthy option for breakfast, but I need something with more sustenance.  So, I came up with fruit on a whole wheat English Muffin with a bit of peanut butter.  (And a glass of milk…duh.)  And I liked it.

And I wasn’t hungry.  I’ll be doing this again.  Try it!  I even tossed a couple of blueberries on top, which was good, too.  What fruit toppings will you be trying?

 

30 Days on Cheese: Baked Ziti Dish

Baked Ziti...er...Mezze Penne

Well, I’d be lying if I told you it was easy to get out of bed this morning for my 5:15 am workout.  It was so much cozier in my bed than outside of its warm covers.  I did it though.  I got out of bed, put on my workout clothes & turned on my “Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred” workout DVD.  I tend to gravitate toward that workout more because I have done that DVD for quite a while.  For me personally, half of the battle with tough workouts is the mental battle.  When I do a workout DVD that I’ve never done before, I think it’s so much more difficult because I don’t know what to expect.  Which is why I love “30 Day Shred.”  I’ve done that workout so many times that I can quote almost every word that Jillian Michaels says in those 20 minutes of shredding.  The moves are still difficult, but my mental battle is won because I know exactly what will the workout entails.

Last night, with the help of my mom, I made the Baked Ziti recipe.  We used Mezze Penne as the pasta instead of Ziti because oddly enough, my local supermarket does not carry Ziti noodles.  It was an incredibly easy recipe to make, requiring only about 20 minutes of prep time and then 20 minutes of bake time.  I do need to warn you, if you were planning on trying that recipe, maybe you should invite company over on the night you cook it.  There were 5 of us eating the dish and we had over half of the pan left.  It makes a GINORMOUS pan of pasta.  We figured that it could at least feed 10 people.  Or, if you’re like my family, just eat the leftovers for a few days.  Thankfully, everyone requested leftovers for their lunches today (that’s when you know it’s a good recipe!).

There was plenty of cheese involved in that dish.  But remember, I can’t say this enough…it’s all about moderation.  I ate my meal quickly last night, so I was feeling like I could eat a second plate of food, but instead, I decided to wait a few minutes.  And wait, I did.  After a few minutes, my food had a chance to settle a bit better and I realized that I really wasn’t hungry anymore.  Moments of self-control are never bad to have.  🙂

Pardon the plastic plate...Mezze Penne & Caesar Salad

What’s on your dinner menu for tonight?  I’d love to hear about it!

30 Days on Cheese: Day 1

Good morning, party people!

Today is Day 1 of “30 Days on Cheese.”  I’m feeling pretty good!  I woke up at 5:00 am this morning and worked out to “Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred.”  It’s only a 20 minute workout, but it’s tough!  She does a 3-2-1 workout which means that you do three 6-minute circuits composed of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs.  It keeps your body on its toes the whole time so that your muscles are constantly being worked.  That’s why it’s so  effective!

After my workout I had a cinnamon-raisin bagel for breakfast topped with butter.  I also had a cup of coffee, but I did not put cream in.  In my lunch today is a a ham & cheese sandwich, an apple & banana, a small bag of chips & a brownie for a sweet treat!  I’m mixing up the recipes for dinner this week.  Tonight instead of the cod, I’m making the “Baked Ziti” dish.  I have a Caesar salad that needs to get eaten by tonight and I think it’ll go better with the Baked Ziti.

The beautiful thing about having a meal plan made in advance is that you can switch things up a bit, but at least you still have a plan!  And if you’re super organized and did your grocery shopping before your crazy week started, then you even have all of the ingredients you’ll need.

I would love to hear about your breakfast ideas & workout routines.  Do you prefer to workout at home?  Would you rather go on a nice, long run?  What about Zumba – has anyone jumped on that awesome workout train?

30 Days on Cheese Prep

Alright, so I just decided that I’m calling these next 30 days “30 Days on Cheese.”  Most of the recipes that I show you will have cheese in there somewhere…I’m all for supporting the dairy industry.  And I just love cheese.  I’ve grown up on cheese and if you check out my initial blog post that started this all: https://fromheelstoboots.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/my-abs-thighs-on-cheese/ you’ll see that I’m doing this to prove to any doubters that you (gasp) can eat dairy & meat products without being overweight and/or unhealthy.

First and foremost, you’ll need to be willing to get active.  If you are a member at a gym & are actually using your membership…great!  If you’re one of those people who’s thinking, “I can’t afford a gym membership” or “I don’t have easy access to a gym,” or “I don’t have time to go to a gym,” then let me introduce you to my secret weapon:  at-home workout DVD’s.  Now, some are kind of lame.  I’ve tried my share of workout videos, but I have finally managed to find some that I love!  I don’t really have time to do a 45 minute or hour-long workout, but hallelujah, there are such things as 20-minute workout videos.  Here are the three that I use:

Jillian Michael's 6 Week Six Pack. I actually haven't tried this one yet...I got it for Christmas though. I will be trying it out over the next 30 days.

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. This one is my favorite. 20 minute workouts where you get results.

Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30. Also a Christmas gift - I've done this a couple of times and it KICKS MY BUTT. It's also only 20 minutes. Or maybe it's 30? I forget, but it's quick.

Can you tell that I like Jillian Michaels?  They’re my favorite because the DVD’s that I have shared are between 20  and 30 minutes….and I’ve gotten major results from “30 Day Shred.”  The thing that is key with these workouts is that you have to stick with them daily & you have to be willing to work hard for 20 to 30 minutes.  As with anything, if you don’t put in the effort, you won’t get results.  Easy enough workout routine, right?  You can buy any of these from Amazon, Target or Walmart.

Alright, on to meals…I’ve included some meal plans that I will be using.  If you are a busy person, then it is important to have a meal plan for about a week in advance & it’s also helpful to get your grocery shopping done before another busy week begins.  I’ve included 5 days of dinner recipes and at the end of the recipes is a blank grocery list.  You can fill that in with what items you need from Week One’s meal plan.  For breakfast and lunch, I’ve just made a list of things that I usually eat for those meals.  Sorry, you don’t get recipes.  I’m not that fancy.

My hopes for this are that you will realize after watching what I eat, that I’m not a crazy dieter.  I don’t deprive myself of the foods that I love.  The main thing that I do is eat the things that I love in moderation.  Now of course, it is different if you have a health issue where you can’t eat something.  Such as gluten, for example.  There’s not much you can do with food problems and/or allergies.  I’m lactose intolerant, but I love milk.  So, some days I make the decision that a stomach ache is worth the delicious glass of cold milk that I want to drink.  🙂  Anyway, if you’re not eating certain foods because you think that they’re making you fat….think again.  Remember, MODERATION! 

If you have any questions about anything, please let me know!  Find the meal plan documents attached below.  Happy Cheesing, everyone!  Tomorrow, we’re going grocery shopping!

30 Days on Cheese’ Breakfast Lunch

30 Days on Cheese Week 1’Dinner Meal Plan