Health Archives - Page 7 of 12 -

You Can’t Always Win

Post author:Melanie
Post published:February 6, 2013
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Family / Health / Moose / Recipes / Workouts
Post comments:6 Comments

Yesterday I mentioned I was fighting off some sort of cold bug and I had big plans of squashing it before it made its way any further into my body, but I’m afraid it has won.

I did everything in my power to ward it off. I took all of my vitamins as I always do, I wash my hands, I got plenty of sleep, I made myself a fruit and veggie packed smoothie for breakfast…

Strawberries, blueberrries, kale, kefir, egg white protein powder

I sipped on warm water with lemon and honey, tea, and water all day, crammed fruits and veggies like it was my job, and even attempted to get a workout in to get the blood circulating and move this thing out…

February Fitness Challenge: I completed this ab workout along with 45 minute run/walk on the treadmill. My strength focus was on the core yesterday.

I was lovingly greeted/interrupted while doing the ab workout by this needy face…

Maybe he was trying to tell me about the spider crawling on the floor that I noticed shortly after he left while holding my plank-a-day? If so, that was sweet of him.

In the evening, my mom, dad and brother Kevin came over to join Dana and me for tacos. Abbie and Moose have yet to become buddies, so Abbie made her way over to her little roost where she overlooked the situation.

I used the chicken I had used for my bone broth for the chicken tacos. I diced the chicken meat, added it into my pan on the stove top, added bone broth, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt and pepper. I let it all simmer together until the liquid evaporated.

I also made refried beans with black beans which I cooked on the stove, again with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (no paprika), salsa, cilantro, and some diced tomato. I added a touch of bone broth as well to get it moving along and let it simmer for a short while.

I got all of the fixings together and then dinner was ready. Tacos are so easy to make and always so darn good. I ate my tacos in lettuce cups but we also had corn tortillas for everyone.

After dinner, we all hung out and I played beauty shoppe with mom. I’ve never been too good with hair but I like to try being creative every once and a while, and mom is the perfect client. Her hair is the perfect texture that holds well to styling, and I’m pretty sure she is okay with the free head massage. Who doesn’t like getting their hair fanangled? I know I do.

I also thought a little TLC from the family may help fight this thing off, but unfortunately this morning I woke up feeling worse than yesterday. The darn cold definitely got me much to my dismay. You can’t always win as hard as you may try. 🙂

Let’s just hope I feel better as the day progresses. Even though it got me, I won’t let it stick around for long. Okay, enough of my belly aching. I hope you all are feeling well, staying active, eating healthy nourishing foods, and getting plenty of sleep. Take care!

A Day of Comfy Tummy Snacks and Meals

Post author:Melanie
Post published:February 3, 2013
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Health / Home Life / Snacks
Post comments:6 Comments

Well, happy Sunday!! I am happy to report that I am feeling MUCH better today. Yesterday was very restful; I was in need of some quiet relaxing time after having a blast on Friday night.

I felt super motivated in the morning and actually made myself a savory breakfast of eggs with cheese and kale. This doesn’t happen very often where I actually crave savory versus sweet in the morning, but I did line my plate with a handful of cold sweet carrots to “balance” the meal and add a touch of sweetness. I can’t tell you the last time I ate carrots in the morning, but I actually really enjoyed them. Weird things are happening over here. 😉

I had a great appetite first thing in the morning and these eggs did a great job of satisfying my hunger. After I ate in the morning though, my appetite spiraled downward and I did not feel well.

I found my spot on the couch from around 10:00-1:00. I nibbled on a banana and drank water while my body tried to recover. Finally I fell asleep for a short while watching Bridesmaids (love that movie) and when I awoke, I felt 80% better!

This is not Bridesmaids on TV if you didn’t notice. This was after I woke up and was feeling better, so clearly I default to Food Network. And don’t let those weights deceive you, they unfortunately didn’t get touched yesterday.

I made myself a light snack/mini lunch…

In the afternoon I was actually able to be slightly productive. I painted the shelves for the laundry room, went to Menards with Dana, shoveled the driveway, cranked out my plank-a-day, and then made some super easy on the belly soup.

I used the bone broth I had made the other day to throw together a quick soup with carrots, onion, garlic, peas, broccoli, and chicken. I seasoned the soup as I went along with salt, pepper, savory seasoning blend, and garlic powder. I topped it with fresh cilantro.

It wasn’t a soup that made me want to go run and scream and tell the whole world about, but it was perfect on my still unsettled tummy.

I did have a few other random snacks throughout the day, but overall it was a pretty low-appetite day for me, and I was listening to my body as best as I could.

After dinner we got to work again on the laundry room. We are now in the process of moving all of our ~~junk~~ stuff into the laundry room where it will be permanently stored. Since our basement is unfinished we have just been storing everything in the living area, but since we would like to work on finishing the living area, we needed to move the junk out of there.

The laundry room is nearly finished. It looks smaller now because we have put so much more stuff in there, but it is definitely cleaner looking and more organized! Photos coming soon!

Just before bed, I whipped together some Paleo-friendly waffle batter so that this morning all we have to do is crank on the waffle iron and cook them up. Dana’s patiently waiting for me as I write right now, so I am going to end this so I can get my breakfast on.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

What are your go-to comfy tummy snacks and/or meals?

Restore My Health

Post author:Melanie
Post published:February 2, 2013
Post category:Blog / Breakfast / Friends / Health / Workouts
Post comments:0 Comments

Well I am just so excited it’s Saturday. Anyone else? We have big plans to finish up the laundry room today and it’s the perfect day to do it because it is pretty cold outside again today. It will be nice to stay warm and cozy inside.

You’ll be so proud of me because yesterday I once again did NOT have a banana with peanut butter for breakfast. It was a smoothie morning instead. In this green madness was kale, kefir, banana, Jay Robb egg white protein powder and a small spoonful of PB2. I wasn’t in love with this one but it was okay. Maybe I really wasn’t in a smoothie mood?

I had a chiropractor appointment in the morning which went really well and then it was time to bring the car back into the shop. The back left blinker keeps going out and this was the 4th time we had been in to get it fixed. Very frustrating. I packed an apple for a snack and tossed back a few cashews before we left the house.

We dressed warm (long underwear pants, multiple layers on top, two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks, hat, coat, boots) and walked over to the grocery store near by to pick up some carrots while they were working on the car. Yes, we went just for carrots. For some reason we didn’t do a very good job last weekend of stocking up on veggies and I was really wanting some more around the house to tide me over until Sunday when we go grocery shopping again.

After waiting around for TWO hours we finally got our car back and fixed. It better stay fixed this time!

On the drive home I snacked on our purchase.

Once home I made myself a banana with peanut butter. Creative right? 😉

Then I got to work on my February Fitness Challenge. I turned on Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred workout DVD and completed one of her workouts. There are three levels in this DVD and I went with level one yesterday and was already feeling the burn. I really like how she combines multiple muscle groups in each movement, like doing a squat and then a dumbbell overhead arm press (probably not the correct terminology but you know what I mean).

I have a long way to go with this challenge, but that’s okay, it was day one after all. After Jillian, I completed my plank-a-day and finished off with a 20 minute walk on the treadmill.

I reopened my workout log page to keep track of this challenge. I had it up on the blog for a while but always forget to update it with my workouts so I took it off, but I would like to track my workouts again so we shall see how well I do remembering. It may not stay up long. 🙂

Last night we met up with a bunch of our friends and watched/danced/sang to my cousins Tara and Amber’s band perform live. The show was part of a fundraiser for a hockey team and if we wore hockey jerseys to the event we were entered into a raffle, hence the reason we are all wearing hockey jerseys. We didn’t win that particular raffle but Brian and Amanda did win one of the many prizes that were given away: a giant basket of snacks!

My cousin Amber (one of the singers) cozying up with Dana…

And the award for best dressed for the night goes to Adam…

I had SO much fun last night. Maybe too much fun. We danced our socks off.

I’m hoping to restore my body today and get it back to its normal self. We got back home around midnight and my internal alarm clock woke me up at 7:00 this morning and would absolutely not let me go back to sleep. Seven hours is enough for a good majority of people, but not for me. It’s a good thing we have a low-key day today.

I just refueled with a protein packed breakfast and am drinking plenty of water, so cross my fingers I come around soon.

Have a fabulous day my friends.

Question of the day: What’s your remedy for restoring health after a night out?

Overnight Chia Berry Kefir Bowl

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 31, 2013
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Health / Home Life / Recipes / Snacks / Workouts
Post comments:4 Comments

It’s Thursday! Happy day to you. 🙂

Yesterday I rolled out of bed (I literally do roll out of bed btw) at 5:30 and hit the treadmill for a very leisure 45 minute walk while reading a book and drinking a cup of coffee. Doesn’t that sound nice? It really was. It would be even nicer it I were outside on the beach with the warm sun on my back…ahh less than one month.

Wednesday was day two of my personal “get creative with breakfast” movement. The evening before last, I combined kefir, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, chia seeds, chocolate egg white protein powder, and a touch of honey. I gave it a good stir, covered it, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning I had a refreshingly sweet yet slightly tart chia berry kefir bowl!

For those of you new to kefir, join the club. This is my first week of experimenting with it. Kefir is a fermented milk product. It has the consistency of really thin yogurt and has a tangy flavor. It is a probiotic which has been show to help improve intestinal health by creating a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut and can improve digestion. I bought the plain version to try out but they have flavored versions at the stores now too.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am all about natural ways to stay and get healthy, and after talking about the possibility of adding fermented foods to my diet with my chiropractor, I decided to give it a go. Here’s a link to more info if you are interested: kefir info.

It is 99% lactose free and gluten-free, a good source of vitamin D and calcium, has 12 grams of protein per cup, and only natural sugars. Sold.

Lunch was a hodge-podge of all things—chicken with marinara and cheese, sugar snap peas, carrots, and an apple. I had an afternoon snack of a banana and a clementine.

For dinner I was not in a cooking mood at all but was getting pretty hungry. We were running low on veggies so that was making my dinner decision even more challenging. Then I spotted the sweet potato on the counter that I had bought last weekend and the decision was made. I wanted to experiment with it to see how my body reacted to a more “starchy” vegetable and I really do like sweet potatoes.

I made it the cheater way in the microwave. After scrubbing it down, I poked a bunch of holes into it, placed it on a microwave safe plate and cooked it for 3 minutes on one side, and then 3 minutes on the other. This was a monster of a sweet potato, so I cut it in half and saved one half for another day.

I added cinnamon, honey, peanut butter and raisins, and dug right in.

It was a nice change of pace and I really enjoyed my sweet dinner. I didn’t notice any negative symptoms from it either, but I do want to experiment with it one more time before introducing it more often. Potatoes are a no-no on the SCD but they they may be okay on my Melanie’s moderated diet (MMD), and I want to find out for myself. 🙂

I broiled the second half of the sweet potato in wedges to crisp them up, and refrigerated them for another day. I also finished cooking the bone broth–it needs to simmer for 24 hours to leach the maximum amount of calcium from the bones into the broth.

For a snack later in the evening I ate a few dates and had a couple small handfuls of cashews.

Dana and I sealed the grout lines in the tile in the laundry room last night. Once it was dry we moved the washer and dryer back into place. We haven’t been able to do laundry since last week and I haven’t miss it at all.

It is so exciting seeing the room come together. Next we will be finishing painting the shelves, assembling them, and moving storage bins in! We’re coming along! Don’t forget, once it’s ALL finished I will be sharing photos.

Have a happy day friends! xoxo!

Question of the day: What are your thoughts/experiences on kefir and other fermented foods?

My Holistic Approach to Digestive Health

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 29, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Health / Home Life / Misc. / Workouts
Post comments:5 Comments

Happy Tuesday, Happy Tuesday, Happy Tuesday, Tuesday to you.

I had quite the productive Monday morning. It started with a chiropractor visit. I realize I haven’t yet mentioned that I am seeing a chiropractor. And you can really learn more from them. I started having back pain this summer and denied/ignored it for a while before going to seek help. The first chiropractor I found was in my network and in my neighborhood and I began seeing her a couple of times a week. I felt better within a few weeks but as we started to space out our visits the discomfort came back.

I wasn’t ready to give up on chiropractors quite yet, but I wanted a second opinion. I found another chiropractor who uses the Gonstead method in his practice.

Interestingly enough after examining my x-rays, he found that there are three vertebrae and their related nerves which are causing the discomfort. The one that most intrigues me is lumbar five, whose nerve directly functions with gastrointestinal health. You can click to see that if the vertebrae are not aligned correctly therefore the nerve in between is being pinched which causes can disable the body from functioning at it’s highest capacity. Could there be a relation to the ulcerative colitis and my back? Quite possibly!

The chiropractor I am working with has a doctorate of chiropractic and is also a certified chiropractic wellness physician, so not only are we working together to fix my back problems, we are also working together on holistic healing through nutrition and supplements (like naturligt testosteron tillskott för män). He does a great job of answering my questions, offering suggestions, and guiding me towards my ultimate health.

There have been many changes in my diet in the past couple of weeks. This was partly due to my own research, being inspired by others, and the icing on the cake was talking it over with my chiropractor.

My Holistic Approach:

Supplements: I truly believe that if you are eating healthy, and are completely 100% healthy, that you may not need to take a supplement, but for those of us with compromised health, it can be a very good option.
- I am currently taking cod liver oil, a multivitamin, calcium plus vitamin D3, and a probiotic.
Diet: I have eliminated processed sugars and most processed foods.
- I am eating whole foods like fruits, veggies, meat, beans, eggs, nuts, and oils.
- I have begun incorporating coconut oil into baking and cooking as it has been shown to help heal the gut lining.
- I am in the process of incorporating fermented foods like kefir and saurkraut because they can aid in gut healing as well.
- I am beginning to implement homemade bone broth which is an excellent source of calcium, and again, can help heal the digestive tract (do you see a pattern here?).
- I am limiting dairy products.

Physical Activity and Energy Level

In just the short amount of time that I have been living this wholesome lifestyle, I am shocked at the difference I feel already. I am remaining very active. My body feels lighter yet stronger and changes are beginning to show very quickly.
I have found that I function best when I eat 4-5 small meals throughout the day versus 3 big meals in order to maintain my energy level. It is a fun and new challenge to find healthy snacks and meals using natural ingredients.

I’m not perfect

I do my best at maintaining optimal nutrition, but I will ABSOLUTELY allow myself fun foods now and then. I figure if I can go 90/10, favoring the healthy choices, it will be a lifestyle that I will easily be able to maintain.
I WILL be eating my treats now and again, just not as frequently as I was before, but more than likely I will be waiting on those treats until I am completely healed.

I continue to take medicine prescribed by my doctor at west palm beach rehab but will eventually be eliminating it all together and will no longer need it. I am thrilled to say that the combination of the supplements, seeing the chiro, and working with my GI doc, that I am significantly seeing and feeling improvements with the Ulcerative Colitis. I can’t wait for the day when I can say I am finally in remission. That day will be soon.

I am just so amazed by our bodies and what they can do if they are treated kindly. Remember, we are all different and react differently to foods and exercise, so finding the perfect balance for ourselves is the ultimate goal. What works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

I realize everyone has their own opinion in regards to choosing a chiropractor, physical therapist, doctor, etc., and I have decided to try this route, and so far I am very happy with the progress we have made.

Disclaimer: Before you make any changes to your diet or start any supplements, PLEASE contact your physician or dietitian.

Anyway….after my chiro appointment I had a few errands to run including a tune up to my car. While I waited, I walked over to a nearby Starbucks and ordered tea with honey. I was glad I packed snacks because I was HUNGRY. Besides the homemade trail mix you see below, I also munched on a bag of sugar snap peas and an apple.

After the car appointment, it was home again home again jiggity jag. I got the chicken going in the crockpot so I can put together the bone broth in the next couple of days, I snacked on some dates with peanut butter, then a piece of banana bread, and then got my workout on (in my new workout tee from mom and dad).

I started on the treadmill with a 5 minute walk warm-up. Then I ran 1 mile at 6.0 speed, recovery walk for 2 minutes, 1 more mile at 6.5 speed, recovery walk, and then one last mile at 6.7, followed by a 5 minute cool down walk. Whew!

Next, I worked out the legs. I completed this workout that I found on Pinterest that I’ve done before. Bring on the squats baby. I finished with a 1 minute plank.

This little guy kept me company during the wall-sit portion of the leg workout. Such a good boy ~~sometimes~~.

It was sloppy and slushy yesterday but I took advantage of the warm weather and threw the ball to Moose in the yard. He was loving life. These poor dogs become slightly exercise deprived in the winter when the days become super cold like they were this past week. He is definitely antsy and has been starved for attention lately.

For dinner, chicken salad made with avocado, lemon juice, coconut oil, cilantro, salt and pepper.

And some snacks later on…

Have a great day! xoxo.

My Sweetened Taste Buds: Regaining Control

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 21, 2013
Post category:Breakfast / Health / Misc. / Sweet Treats
Post comments:0 Comments

Where or where do I begin? I feel like I have so much to share with you. I may end up all over the place so just bear with me please.

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETSY!! Love you peanut!

Second of all, it is -11°F outside right now but feels like -34°F. Is that not insane? I wish I didn’t have to go anywhere today but unfortunately that isn’t so. It’s a good thing I have all of the appropriate winter weather gear–thermal insulated coat from this page, insulated boots, hat, gloves, scarves. I’ll be needing it today.

This weekend we didn’t have too many plans except for Friday night’s birthday celebration, so I took the liberty of getting creative in the kitchen.

A quick snap shot of breakfast yesterday: FAGE Greek yogurt honey with blackberries, strawberries, and homemade granola (recipe below).

I am on a mission-get-rid-of-sugars around my house, but wanted to have something sweet and fun in the cupboards, so I got bakin’. The product: Sweet and Nutty Bites.

In a bowl I mixed together chopped pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, dried cranberries, and chopped dates. In a small saucepan I melted together 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil and 1/4 cup (or so) of honey. Once melted, I mixed the honey mix into the nuts and then pressed it into a 9 x 9 baking dish. I baked these gems for about 20 minutes. I let them cool on the counter for a good hour or two, and then attempted to cut them into bite size pieces but they were too sticky so they just turned into misshapen bites.

These are not low-calorie or low-fat by any means, but they do provide healthy fats from the nuts and the only sugar in the recipe is natural sugar from the honey, so I do feel better feeding my body this dessert than I do say two handfuls of chocolate (that’s okay some days too though!). Just a bite does a great job of satisfying my sweet cravings.

I wasn’t going to go in this direction today, but since I am already on track for it, I’m going to go for it. It’s time to talk about my “sweetened taste buds” and my mission to eliminate added sugars to my diet.

I can comfortably admit that I have a large sweet tooth.

Everyone has their “thing” and that is mine. I love sweets. I always have and I always will. Growing up I would ask my mom if we could make cookies together only to wind up leaving her in the dust after the dough was made (sorry mom!). I didn’t do it on purpose, but I loved the dough and then got tired when it came to rolling the dough balls. To this day, I enjoy licking the mixers when making brownies, and helping myself to a few bites of cookie dough in the cookie baking process.

I am okay with having a sweet tooth, but ever since the holidays rolled around, my sweet tooth has spiraled out of control after one-too-many cookies. It’s time to regain control. I noticed that my gut didn’t appreciate the added sweets either, and this is something that I was fully aware of. Every day I would say I’m going to cut out the chocolate and the sweets, but sure enough another piece would present itself in front of me and I would cave. Okay, tomorrow I’ll start that shenanigans.

After reminding myself of my education, motivating myself by reading up on holistic living, and whole-heartedly knowing exactly what I needed to do if I wanted to feel well, I cleared all of the chocolates and candies out of the house. I wanted and needed to curb this sweet tooth. I got my husband on board too which helps immensely.

The hardest part of “cleaning up my act” wasn’t the chocolate, but my coffee creamer. I adore a cup of coffee in the morning with hazelnut creamer and stevia. Sweet on sweet. It had to go. I don’t like the ingredients on the label, and never have, but talked myself into using it just for a short while longer. No more my friends, no more. It’s gone.

If I do want to use a little sweetener it is going to be stevia which is a natural sweetener from the stevia plant. However, I am hoping to wean myself off of sweeteners all together.

Some may ask why I don’t just switch to regular sugar because that’s natural too, and they’re right it is, but the thing about sugars (carbohydrates included) is they are not digested well by the body. A lot of the starch from the sugar gets trapped inside of the intestines causing gas, bloating and irritability, and for someone who deals with irritable bowel, this isn’t a good option.

So how is the sugar wean going?

To be perfectly honest, NOT BAD at all. The first couple of days I could have gone for a piece of chocolate, but I had other options in the house like dates, berries, and the sweet and nutty bites mentioned above, and they have really helped the process and satisfied my cravings. Another thing that helps is having a cup of tea with a touch of honey. I am now on day 4 of “no sugars added” lifestyle, and I have no sweet cravings. This may sound like a small fete but it is something I am very proud of.

My morning coffee…

At first I had told myself that I was just going to give up coffee because I really don’t enjoy coffee without cream, but I have gone back on that statement. I bought a product called Sweet Drops by Sweet Leaf. It is a natural sweetener made from the stevia plant that adds a subtle sweetness to your coffee, tea, or other beverages. This is what I am using in my coffee now along with a tablespoon of coconut milk.

Do I really think I can keep up with this lifestyle? Am I cutting out sugars forever?

Yes and no. I am learning more and more about my body, the science of food and digestion, and know ways I can help to keep myself in tip-top shape. Cutting down on sugars will help me in so many ways and it is a lifestyle that I want to adapt for the health of myself.

I am NOT saying that I am cutting out sugars forever, but for now, I HAVE GOT to get this colitis under control. This has been going on for way too long. Needless to say there are other things going on with my health that may be contributing to this current “flare” but knowing that I can possibly help the situation through diet encourages me to maintain this lifestyle forever. I WILL be eating chocolate again once I get my health under control, but I will be moderate in my intake; one small piece of dark chocolate a day, a piece of birthday cake on special occasions, etc.

Some other natural remedies I am trying…

I am also taking a multivitamin in the morning along with probiotics. In the evening I am taking calcium plus vitamin D. I am incorporating coconut oil into my daily routine because studies have shown it can help heal the gut and sooth IBD symptoms.

Wow, I really opened up a can of worms with this one, huh?

As a Registered Dietitian it is sometimes hard to admit that I have “sweetened taste buds” and that I need to regain control of the issue. Shouldn’t a dietitian know what to do? It’s hard because I know exactly what I need to do in order to control it, but my stubborn self fought back for so long along with every excuse in the book. None of us are perfect, so why is it so hard for us to share our weaknesses?

Even though it has only been four days without “sweets” I already feel better. I have control already. I just feel better all around.

This turned from me sharing a recipe into divulging a weakness. The important thing to remember: we are given one body, and we have control over what goes into it, the activity it gets, and the decisions we make for it. Take care of your body and remember, no two people are the same, so do what’s best for YOU.

I have much more to share but it’s going to have to wait! Have a GREAT day my friends. xoxoxo

Sleep, Exercise, and Nutrition

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 11, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Health / Home Life / Snacks
Post comments:0 Comments

The relationship between sleep, exercise and nutrition

Sleep

Exercise Nutrition

These three words are very much connected to one another speaking in terms of how the body functions. When one of the three components is lacking, the other two often times follow. For example: You were out all night with friends and got little to no sleep. The next day being sleep deprived, chances are good you are going to be more likely to call for pizza delivery and plant yourself on your favorite spot on the couch, versus cooking up a grilled salmon with veggies and hitting the gym with the newest products from Joy ON.

On the contrary, when one is well-rested, chances are better that they will make healthier decisions (if that is their lifestyle) and they will be more inclined to get active.

The reason I bring this up is because this past week I have not been sleeping well. I can hardly go even one day with little sleep much less almost a whole week of very little and poor sleep. I’ve mentioned before I am one of those people who need a good 8 plus hours of sleep to function at my best. Yesterday the lack of sleep finally caught up with me. I felt nauseous and completely exhausted. My body is fighting so hard to stay healthy with all of the flu and illness going around, and it wasn’t responding well to the whole lack of sleep bit. Take a look at the top CBD lotions online that can help you get that good night sleep you are missing.

I spent the day resting.

What did I want to eat yesterday? Well, I wanted everything. First of all I had a crazy appetite, but second I craved low-nutrient dense foods like ice cream, chocolate, and candy. My sleep pattern was off, therefore the two other components of my health were off as well. However badly I wanted those foods, I KNEW my body needed good nutrient packed foods if I were going to stay healthy. I did what I know best, I packed in the fruits and veggies.

Breakfast: banana with peanut butter.

Mid-morning snack: apple

Lunch was a bunch of small snacks: Broccoli salad

Snacks: Quinoa, dates with peanut butter, mukimame (edamame)

Dinner: Hawaiian chicken with pineapple and pan-seared brussels sprouts with parmesan

Dessert: I resisted my urge to go buy ice cream and saved mucho calories and fat by making my own banana soft serve with one banana a dash of almond milk and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

I even “forced” myself to take a very slow walk on the treadmill to increase circulation and to help ward off any illness making its way into my system.

I fought through the cravings throughout the day and did my best to level out each corner of the health triangle, and the good news is I slept SO much better last night. I feel like a new woman today. I’m not saying that the reason I slept better was solely because of eating well, because there are other underlying factors going on, but I do know that keeping a balance of the three components: sleep, nutrition, and exercise, can greatly improve our overall being and health and they have such a huge influence on eachother. (Credit: https://sites.google.com/site/nutrisystemormedifast/)

Do your best to keep these three components at their peak. We will get through this flu season once and for all.

Stay healthy my friends and take good care of your body. It’s the only one you have!

Question: What are your thoughts on this “health triangle?”

10 Things I Learned in 2012

Post author:Melanie
Post published:December 31, 2012
Post category:Dinners / Health / Home Life / Misc. / Restaurants / Training / Workouts
Post comments:10 Comments

Happy New Year’s Eve! Did everyone have a good weekend?! Mine ended with a Vikings’ football win. As much as I’ve neglected to watch them all season, I really get into the games especially at the end and if they’re doing well. Yes, I’m a fair weather fan. I’ll admit.

I guess I can rewind backwards from Sunday to Saturday since I started with Sunday night football. Sunday was pretty quiet. We ran our errands and seriously hit up the Target after Christmas clearance aisles. Dana’s already talking about putting the Christmas lights back up next year. 10 1/2 months to go!

We cleaned the house just to tidy it up again and then I headed over to mom and dad’s to watch the game and hang out. I stayed until the 3rd quarter or so then finished the game at my house with Dana and his dad. It was a nail-biter!

Saturday

We were feeling ambitious on Saturday. We started off by suitin’ up for a 3 mile outdoor run. This time the thermometer read 13 but said it felt like 3°F. My legs really don’t react well to this cold weather and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the tiniest bit nervous about it, but like I said, I need to remind myself….

It doesn’t matter how fast I go, just go. Just finish.

It’s as simple as that. I would really like to enjoy myself too! 🙂

After our run we start tackling our winter project list which included repainting our living room and creating another accent wall with some leftover paint we had from this wall. Over the past two years it got really nicked up from Moose’s toys and bags rubbing against it, etc., and needed a refresher.

I know it doesn’t look like much but it FEELS SOOO GOOD. You can sort of tell that the wall with the clock is a cocoa color. It makes the room look larger and more homey. I love it. After our 3 hour paint job, we showered up and got ready for dinner out…

At Roasted Pear. We had bought a Living Social deal for $20 to get $40 worth of food or drink and decided it was the perfect night to use it.

My dinner order was very non-Melanie-like. I ordered the petite filet with french fries. The chance of me ordering a steak is like 1 in 100 coupled with the choice of french fries over a healthier option….very rare. They both sounded good to me though, and I though what the heck?!

And I didn’t regret my decision. It was very good! We finished off our night out with a shared hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top.

And then went home to our pooch who was waiting to dance with his mama. 😉 Not really, but he was a good sport!

Since it is the last day of 2012 I wanted to put together some type of recap from the past year. I decided to make a top 10 list of things I have learned in 2012. It can be blog related, life, health, whatever. I just thought it would be fun. So here it goes…

So maybe I didn’t learn all of these things this past year, but I was definitely reminded of the importance of each and every one of those statements. I am so looking forward to a very happy, healthy and “lucky” 2013.

I will be kicking my 2013 off with a 10K run; what better way to start it off! Happy New Year my beautiful friends! I love you all and cannot thank you enough for supporting me and accepting me for who I am.

Question of the day: What is something you learned in 2012?

5-9 Servings of Fruits and Veggies

Post author:Melanie
Post published:December 27, 2012
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Health
Post comments:2 Comments

As I had mentioned before I am doing my darndest to continue to reach my fruit and veggie 5-9 servings a day goal throughout the holiday season (and always), and yesterday was no question a good day in that department.

I’ve definitely reused this photo more than once but here was my not so exciting to anyone anymore YET delicious breakfast yesterday!

I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER and BANANAs! B-A-N-A-N-A-S! That is serving #1 on the F/V tally.

One could say I am in a “rut” with breakfast but rut can sometimes sound like a bad thing, and I will never consider PB and banana a bad thing. :smile

An unphotographed Skinny Ho Ho Mint Mocha from Starbucks was thoroughly enjoyed mid-morning; quite possibly the last one of the year for me, but we’ll see.

Lunch was very random. I wasn’t super hungry (probably due to the mocha) so I had a snacky day.

Fruit and Veggie #2: broccoli and hummus

#3 (maybe a little shy of a serving): a handful of carrots

#4: Trader Joe’s dried pears from my stocking…..

#5: An apple

Dinner

Serving #6 and 7 (and maybe even 8): A seriously outstanding veggie hash. In the mix: kale, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, leftover scalloped potatoes, black beans, an egg to hold it together a little bit, and cheddar cheese. Seasoned with salt and pepper and garlic powder and OhEmGeee soooo GOOD!

There’s my 5-9 servings for the day! Booya!

It’s a good thing I had a healthy day o’ eats because I have nothing to brag about in the physical activity department. I was completely wiped out and the most activity from my day involved a couple of errands and 5 loads of laundry. That’s okay though, I know I’ll get right back on that activity wagon. Plus, we have our 10K coming up in 5 days! Yaya I’m excited for it!

I hope you all have a fabulous day my friends. Happy Thursday! xoxo

Question of the day: What is your all-time favorite breakfast?

Quick Veggie Packed Meals

Post author:Melanie
Post published:December 22, 2012
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Health / Workouts
Post comments:2 Comments

Today begins the official start of my Christmas vacation and I’m thrilled of course. How could I not be? I have my whole immediate family coming in to town. That in itself is the best Christmas present on earth. I am so anxious to see everyone and to celebrate this very special holiday with the ones I love so dear.

A look ahead:

Tonight: Holiday party with friends
Tomorrow: Christmas party with family
Monday: Wrapping gifts at a local hospital and then heading to my parent’s house for gifts, dinner, and 10 pm church service.
Tuesday: A Christmas run in the morning followed by celebrating Christmas at Dana’s parent’s house

There is so much fun to be had and so much celebrating to be done and I.CAN’T.WAIT.

With all of the celebrating and festivities, I find it challenging (to say the least), to stay on top of my 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day. I decided it might be a good idea to put together a little recipe round-up of some quick and veggie-loaded meals to help keep me motivated throughout these next few days.

Pear Salad: mixed dark greens, pears, walnuts, dried cranberries, feta cheese, turkey bacon with poppy-seed dressing

2. Sweet and Creamy Salad

3. Veggie packed scrambled eggs or omelets

4. Sautéed onions and bell peppers with corn, black beans, tomato, and an over-easy egg

5. Cook yourself up a Morningstar Veggie Patty and top it on a big ol’ pile of greens.

6. Kitchen sink hash

7. BBQ pulled chicken on top of a big salad

I find it easiest to get a big serving of veggies in when I make a salad which is why most of the meals I just showed you involve just that. Besides getting an incredible amount of the nutritionally dense veggies, salads are just SO quick which is always a plus if you ask me.

Throughout this holiday season I will do my best to hold true to my fruit and veggie intentions: 5-9 servings a day. Who’s with me?

Alright, I’ve had my morning cup of coffee and my pre-run breakfast, now it’s time to gear up for a frigid 6.5 mile run outside with the hubby. The official temperature outside right now is………9ºF. This will be perfect prep for the actual run on January 1st because the weather will most likely be similar to today’s. This will be fun. Unfortunately we will have to leave the pooch at home. He has an ear infection and it was advised he chill out for a few days.

Off I go! Have an incredible day. Enjoy the season however you chose to celebrate. May your days be merry and bright.

Love,

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