I'm back!! What's for dinner this week?

I know it's been a while since I sat down to really write anything but better late than never right? :)

So I haven't been doing too good.  The stress of moving has totally got to me.  I have gained so much weight back by eating lots of carbs.....stayed within my daily calorie range though.  I'm back to 185 pounds.  Talk about kinda frustrated.  Oh well, what can you do right?  Just get up and move on :)

I realize this emotional eating will always be my downfall.  As long as I catch it sooner rather than later I think I'll be ok.  I put plans into place but sometimes they just don't help.

The move is over now.  Things are getting back to normal.  We are adjusting to living in Slidell.  I do miss Ponchatoula but I'm very happy we are here <3

I just know I need to get this weight off before I go and try to get back to work as a personal trainer or fitness instructor over here.  It's such a damn competitive business to be in.  Blah.

So here I am back to putting my dinner menu up!  Most recipes are from Skinnytaste.com because well I didn't have time to look around for other stuff and I know Gina's recipes are amazing.

Monday (last night) - baked chicken and salad (my gang also had rice)

Tuesday (tonight) - Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili
(http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html)

Wednesday - Chicken Cacciatore
(http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore.html)

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Skinny Salisbury Steak & Mashed Cauliflower
(http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/skinny-salisbury-steak-with-mushroom.html)
The mashed cauliflower you can find here on my blog (http://fromfattofitchick.blogspot.ca/2013/01/my-mashed-cauliflower.html)

Saturday - Turkey Burgers w/ Zucchini
(http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/05/turkey-burgers-with-zucchini.html)
I'll be making homemade baked fries with this.

Sunday - Beef Bottom Round Roast w/veggies in the crockpot.  (just something I throw together and let cook lol)

Color in Motion is coming June 29th in Baton Rouge!

I was contacted by Color in Motion to help spread the word of their race.  I love color runs and know y'all do too so I let them do a guest post.  They were nice enough to offer a discount too :)


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Hey guys! This is Hannah from Color in Motion 5k. I am so excited to tell you about one of the most fun events of the year, the Color in Motion 5K race. I also want to offer Tanee’s readers an awesome deal for the Color in Motion 5K fun run on July 29th in Baton Rouge. This race will also benefit the Central Community School System and all proceeds they receive will go to a Community Bike/Walk Path.
**Use the discount code – COLORBLAST- to register and get 10% off race registration at http://colorinmotion5k.com/baton_rouge

So, what is Color in Motion 5K? Let me tell you, Color in Motion 5K is the most colorful 5K race you will ever participate in. This is not a timed race so run, walk, jog, skip, dance…whatever you prefer as long as you are moving and having fun! Again, this is not a timed event, so feel free to move at your own pace, whatever that may be.

Here's how it works: Come in white clothes and start moving!



At every kilometer of the race there is a color pit where our wonderful volunteers throw color on you as you go by, helping make the experience more fun and turning your white clothes into a palette of color.


What also makes Color in Motion 5K different than your average 5K race is the after party. Afterwards there is a big party with music, dancing, vendors and a color throw.

So what do you have to do to join in on this fun? Go to http://colorinmotion5k.com/baton_rouge and sign up using COLORBLAST to save 10%. Bring your friends and get ready to have a great time and support a great cause while doing it. Hope to see you covered in color on July 29th!

Good Habits Anyone?

With a small amount of initial discipline, you can create a new habit that requires little effort to maintain. Here are some tips for creating new habits and making them stick:

1. Commit to Thirty Days – Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, it becomes much easier to sustain. A month is a good block of time to commit to a change since it easily fits in your calendar.

2. Make it Daily – Consistency is critical if you want to make a habit stick. If you want to start exercising, go to the gym every day for your first thirty days. Going a couple times a week will make it harder to form the habit. Activities you do once every few days are trickier to lock in as habits.

3. Start Simple – Don’t try to completely change your life in one day. It is easy to get over-motivated and take on too much. If you wanted to study two hours a day, first make the habit to go for thirty minutes and build on that.

4. Remind Yourself – Around two weeks into your commitment it can be easy to forget. Place reminders to execute your habit each day or you might miss a few days. If you miss time it defeats the purpose of setting a habit to begin with.

5. Stay Consistent – The more consistent your habit the easier it will be to stick. If you want to start exercising, try going at the same time, to the same place for your thirty days. When cues like time of day, place and circumstances are the same in each case it is easier to stick.

6. Get a Buddy – Find someone who will go along with you and keep you motivated if you feel like quitting.

7. Form a Trigger – A trigger is a ritual you use right before executing your habit. If you wanted to wake up earlier, this could mean waking up in exactly the same way each morning. If you wanted to quit smoking you could practice snapping your fingers each time you felt the urge to pick up a cigarette.

8. Replace Lost Needs - If you are giving up something in your habit, make sure you are adequately replacing any needs you’ve lost. If watching television gave you a way to relax, you could take up meditation or reading as a way to replace that same need.

9. Be Imperfect – Don’t expect all your attempts to change habits to be successful immediately. It took me four independent tries before I started exercising regularly. Now I love it. Try your best, but expect a few bumps along the way.

10. Use “But” – A prominent habit changing therapist once told me this great technique for changing bad thought patterns. When you start to think negative thoughts, use the word “but” to interrupt it. “I’m no good at this, but, if I work at it I might get better later.”

11. Remove Temptation - Restructure your environment so it won’t tempt you in the first thirty days. Remove junk food from your house, cancel your cable subscription, throw out the cigarettes so you won’t need to struggle with willpower later.

12. Associate With Role Models - Spend more time with people who model the habits you want to mirror. A recent study found that having an obese friend indicated you were more likely to become fat. You become what you spend time around.

13. Run it as an Experiment - Withhold judgment until after a month has past and use it as an experiment in behavior. Experiments can’t fail, they just have different results so it will give you a different perspective on changing your habit.

14. Swish - Visualize yourself performing the bad habit. Next visualize yourself pushing aside the bad habit and performing an alternative. Finally, end that sequence with an image of yourself in a highly positive state. See yourself picking up the cigarette, see yourself putting it down and snapping your fingers, finally visualize yourself running and breathing free. Do it a few times until you automatically go through the pattern before executing the old habit.

15. Write it Down – A piece of paper with a resolution on it isn’t that important. Writing that resolution is. Writing makes your ideas more clear and focuses you on your end result.

16. Know the Benefits - Familiarize yourself with the benefits of making a change. Get books that show the benefits of regular exercise. Notice any changes in energy levels after you take on a new diet.

17. Know the Pain – You should also be aware of the consequences. Exposing yourself to realistic information about the downsides of not making a change will give you added motivation.

18. Do it For Yourself - Don’t worry about all the things you “should” have as habits. Instead make your habits towards your goals and the things that motivate you. Weak guilt and empty resolutions aren’t enough.

My review for Diet to Go

Have you ever wished that you don't have to plan anything and have food delivered right to your door?  This is what Diet to Go does and I have to say I was pretty impressed with them. 

They offer a 1200 or 1600 calorie plan in either traditional low fat, low carb or low fat vegetarian.  They do have pick up options if you live near one of their distribution centers (Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and San Francisco Bay area) or it comes straight to your house, mine came FedEx.  There is a choice of getting food for either 5 or 7 days per week, and either three meals per day, or just lunch and dinner. Cost? You are looking at $96 for the lunch and dinner option, plus delivery charges ($19 per week for mail; $5 for pickup). The food comes in plastic trays, and is fresh (not frozen, unless you are like me and they had to ship from far away).  They have a 5 week rotation with the menus

They sent me the 1600 calories low fat option with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

This is some of what I got.  I have to say I was a bit skeptical about food delivery since I've heard that other companies make things that are super bland annnnnd you know how this Louisiana girl feels about eating bland stuff.

I was pleasantly surprised though. Everything rated either good or very good in the taste department.

All in all, if you are totally strapped for time but still want to have healthy food this would be a great option :)

If you'd like to try it, for a limited time only, Diet-to-Go is offering readers a 25% discount on their first week of meals. Simply plug in the coupon code "summer25" at check-out for 25% off your first order!

Aspie meltdowns and Summer time....oh boy lol

So lately I've been running in the morning while my 11 year old (he's high functioning autistic) walks the same track.

Today didn't go as planned though, he had a meltdown and we had to stay home.  I'm trying not to let my frustration show and just thinking about the kids being home with me all summer is making me feel kind of sad....while I love them with all my heart they really can put a kink in my serious training time especially when my husband is away (he travels a lot).  We do get active together, which is great lol but I like to just get in my zone.

My zone is where I tune everything out except myself.  What a novel concept right?  A mom that likes to focus on herself.  It's the only time I really can and I've come to really love it.

I think more moms and caregivers.....or just people in general need a time to be in their own little zone.  It makes me a happier person and able to give my time to others without being as stressed so it should work for others too right?

I guess I need to start looking for a gym that has no contracts and childcare lol

Totally off topic but if I would have "Fit for Life" shirts or tanks made would you want one?  :)

Anyone want to sponsor my racing habit? I'm only half kidding lol

I love running.

It's an addiction I never thought I would ever have.  Not saying it's a bad thing either.

When I run I can push all of my problems out of my head.  Focusing on my breathing, feeling the cadence of my feet hitting the pavement, listening to either nature or my music.....it is just something that makes me feel inner peace.  It also makes me question my sanity lol

It leads to my love of races.  I met the most amazing people out there on the course.  Cancer survivors, people that are battling weight loss, kids following their parents footsteps....and so many more stories!

Races also help me push myself.  I know with the CCC I hadn't run in what seems like forever, didn't train and I still did a decent time.

Now my only problem is there are soooooo many races I want to participate in but with buying a new house I need to be a bit selective.  It's either that or try to find a sponsor.  So in an off chance a business is reading this....would you like to sponsor me?  lol

Crazy that I'm even talking about this.  It's hard to explain but never in my life up until I started to get healthy was running ever a thought in my mind unless something was chasing me to kill me.

Like this.  Which is totally creeping me out right now....I don't think I'll come back and reread this entry very much lol

I'd still totally run from clowns.  I might even be able to channel my inner Kenyan and win a race instead of being in the back of the pack!  haha!

In a bit of seriousness.....my thoughts are with the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

  It has made me even more proud to be part of the running community.  <3

Menu for the week :)

Let me run down this week's dinner menu before I forget to post it lol 

Sunday - homemade grilled Turkey burger with salad

Monday - Left over night....the burgers and WW chicken soup

Tuesday - Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html

Wednesday - Shrimp and veggie stir fry.....no recipe.  Just a pound of shrimp, some frozen asian veggie mix I picked up at Sam's and some soy sauce :) 

Thursday - Leftovers again from Tuesday and Wednesday.  My husband is leaving on this day for probably a week so I don't have him as a hoover lol

Friday - Weight Watchers Chicken & Dumplings
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeId=50466

Saturday - Stuffed Pepper Soup
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/stuffed-pepper-soup.html

Sunday - Slow cooked beef roast with veggies and cauliflower rice


Have a great week y'all!!