" Transformation of a Junk Food Mom: April 2010

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Insanity Continues!

So, I completed my first full week of Insanity last week!  Let me tell you, it felt great!!  I can already feel the difference in my stamina and subtle changes in my muscle tone.  My arms are becoming a bit more defined, and my abs are starting to reappear.  I hope they enjoyed their three year vacation because I refuse to let them disappear again!!

I did skip a few days of working out due to life getting in the way... well, some may call it laziness! :)   Saturday I actually painted my master bedroom.  I'm not finished yet, but it looks great so far.  I hate to admit this, but on Sunday, I pretty much sat in my big comfy chair the entire day and watched all 5 episodes of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and played on the net.  I heart Jamie!  I love his message and it has really motivated me to eat healthier.  But, I still have a ways to go in trying to reduce the amount of processed crap I put into my body.  Baby steps, right?

Ok, so back to Insanity... After a four day hiatus, I decided it was time to get off my hiney and begin the next week of torture.  Today's workout was the Cardio Resistance and Power.  I did notice an improvement from the first time I did this DVD.  I didn't come nearly as close to dying! I still can't get the moving push-ups, however.  I just don't think my body is that coordinated!  I'm looking forward to the rest of this week's workouts.  I'm lovin' the burn!!

For those that are following any at home workout programs, let me know what you're doing and how things are going!  One of these days, I'll get back in the gym, but for now working out at home is going awesome!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Did you say Chocolate?



Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, oh my! I recently bought my first ever Clean Eating magazine. As I began to flip through the magazine (back cover to front, of course!), the first recipe I came across was for these delicious looking cookies. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and are low in suger. I'm a sucker for chocolate, so I knew this recipe was a keeper!



The ingredients are pretty simple - almond butter, egg, baking soda, cocoa, salt, sucanat...wait, what?! Sucanat? What the heck is sucanat? I had never heard of this before which probably isn't too surprising since I rarely set foot in the kitchen or a grocery store. But even my husband had never heard of it. I sent him to the grocery store on a mission to find sucanat and he succeeded! He found it in the health food section of our local HEB. And, if you're wondering, sucanat is non-refined cane sugar.

The cookies were super easy to prepare. I think it took about 10 min prep time and another 10 minutes baking time per dozen. Here are some prep pics:





And the final product!



Overall, for the first try, I was pretty impressed with how the cookies turned out. I think I added just a little bit too much salt, so I'll have to make sure I don't add too much next time. Also, make sure to let the cookies cool completely. I would definitely recommend this recipe for a cleaner version of chocolate chip cookies! Let me know how they turn out if you bake them. :)

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Clean Eating March/April 2010

Makes 24 cookies
Hands on time: 10 min
Total time: 22 min

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater) broken into small pieces

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Nutrition per Cookie:
Calories - 110; Total Fat - 8 g;
Sat. Fat - 1.5 g; Carbs - 10 g;
Fiber - 1 g; Sugars - 3 g; Protein - 2 g;
Sodium - 55 mg; Cholesterol - 10 mg

Feel the Burn: Part 2


So, I completed the second DVD "Cardio Power and Resistance" on Friday; and I have to say, it wasn't AS difficult as the first workout. Don't get me wrong, it still kicked my butt, BUT a few of the exercises I could actually push through and complete. The most challenging aspect of this DVD was all of the pushups. I mean, who has the strength to do "walking" pushups?! Obviously, I don't. I had to modify my pushups so that I didn't fall flat on my face, lol!

I did break down and buy a heart rate monitor at Target, yay! My max heart rate during the workout was 186. I'm sure it would have gone higher, but I slowed down at that point. I was afraid I was going to have a heart attack. My average rate was in the high 170's. Overall, it was a great workout and Shaun T is hottie to watch!

As far as the soreness factor goes, I was at a 9 yesterday. As soon as I stepped out of bed, my calves and quads started screaming at me. They were saying, "go back to bed!". It's pretty bad when you have to waddle to the bathroom and you're not even pregnant! Today my soreness factor is about a 4, thank goodness. :)

Unfortunately, my diet still stinks. Friday night I went out for Mexican with the girls. LOVED the margaritas and had a little too much fun!! Saturday was left-overs for lunch and pizza for dinner. I have got to get to the grocery store for some fruits and veggies. I did make the almond butter chocolate chip cookies, and to my surprise, they were actually pretty good! Recipe and pics to come...

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Feel the Burn...ok, Torture: Part 1


I completed the first DVD workout of the Insanity series this evening!! It kicked my a$$! My face was beet red, and I felt like passing out afterwards! I think I stopped to rest about a thousand times. I can't remember the last time I did suicide drills... middle school basketball practice, maybe? It was a great work-out and I'm sure I'll feel it for the next few days to come. Heck, I think I was still sore from the Fit test I did over a week ago. :)

Other than the fact that I'm completely out of shape, I think the most challenging aspect of Insanity will be pushing myself to "dig deeper". It's so easy just to take a rest or to not finish the last few seconds since I'm at home and by myself. I'm seriously thinking about buying a heart rate monitor to gauge how hard I'm exerting myself and to make sure I'm not about to kill myself. If anyone has any good recs, let me know!

As far as my diet goes...it stinks! I was doing really well for about about a week or so. I was eating clean and eating 6 small meals a day. But once Easter weekend hit, forget it! We ate so much candy. I think all my son ate for two days straight was candy, candy, and more candy! This week I've had chick-fil-a, pizza, fajitas, and tonight will be hot dogs and chips. Definitely not on the plan! I'll have to get back on track. There is a recipe for Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies in my Clean Eating magazine that I can't wait to try! I'll have to post the results after I bake them. They look yummy!