Being healthy, fit and SAFE

Wow, this summer has flown by. Forget summer, this WEEK has flown by. I've been a little MIA. Oh, I've been around and reading everyone else's amazing blogs. I just needed a rest from my own.

You know, summers aren't the same as when you're a kid. Everyone has to work and even though I'm not working, I'm still doing lots of work around the house. Sigh. I have this expectation that summer is supposed to be filled with so much fun that every day I'm "missing out". Then I get out in the heat and decide to retreat back in to the cool, air conditioned house. And I know I won't get any sympathy, because it's not even humid here.

I'm trying to more actively count my blessings and be happy where I'm at. For example, I was reading Elle the other day and saw a swimsuit for $500 and thought "Holy cow! People actually spend that much on a swim suit?!?" Often in our society, we are encouraged to keep up with the Joneses. It can be so easy to think, I wish that I could justify spending money on those designer shoes or that bigger house or nicer car. Then I think how I'm already in the small percentage of the world to live in a 1st world country. Then I think about being a homeowner, having a husband who works really, really, REALLY hard so I can go back to school and so we can be financially set have kids. At the end of the day, stuff is just stuff. It's the people you surround yourself that make you happy.

Yikes. Ok, this was a little random, but it cracked me up! :D

So I have to say that not working is enough to say summer's been good thus far. After all, I took a trip to Oregon, this week I helped a friend paint a house, went to Roaring Springs with a friend, and Jeremy and I are taking a trip to Moab, UT in August.

I'm still trying to pull out of my lack of motivation funk, but I'll get there. Jeremy and I made an agreement: no TV until I've worked out. Sure, I find other things to do such as reading, napping, cooking and cleaning (I completely cleaned our bedroom, bath room and closet one day) to procrastinate. After a while though, I've been thinking about everything I can do to NOT workout that I just do it so I don't have to think about putting it off any longer. Make sense?

Today, I did a circuit training DVD with Jackie Warner. I can feel the soreness already.

Jackie does not mess around. Jackie. kicks. my. butt every. single. time. This is one of the best strength training/work up a sweat that soaks the carpet beneath you home DVD's out there. So on days when driving to the gym isn't going to happen, this is a perfect solution.

For the first time in my life, I've been on a strength training kick more than cardio. I think I just haven't had the attention span for it. And it's hot outside. Hot driving to the gym. Hot in the gym. Running when you're already hot is not fun. I could get up early before it got hot. Yeah, but don't hold your breath.

My eating habits have been in a great place. That's half the battle, right? I think summer brings out those cravings for fresh, whole food. I've become serious best friends with Green Monsters.

I've gotten a little more adventurous and added watermelon to one and blueberry (pictured) to another. In fact, I even convinced Jeremy (who does NOT do vegetables, much less any green ones) to try them for a week. And you won't miss out, I will be documenting it! ;)

Another common breakfast has been Fiber One.

With a banana sliced up into it. I just can't get into hot breakfasts in the summer.

One thing I always eat if presented to me but don't seek it out is sprouts. I weirdly had a craving for them the other day. So I bought some for the first time in my life.

Mmm... I've been in a sandwich mania. Sprouts went perfectly with my egg salad and avocado sandwich.

Apparently, there are different types of sprouts. There were three kinds when I was choosing mine at the store. I picked the one labeled "deli". Some health benefits of sprouts are:

1. Rich in antioxidants.

2. Rich in vitamins A, C and selenium.

3. Contain calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, zinc, folate and vitamin B.

4. Low in sodium but high in potassium.

Sometimes I actually feel like cooking. Like a healthier Cheeseburger Pasta. You never let me down, Can You Stay For Dinner?

It wouldn't be summer without a little ice cream, right? I decided to give Haagen Dazs Five a try. Surely, by now you've seen this sweet little treat with only 5 ingredients.

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I chose the lemon flavor. In one word this tastes very pure. You can literally taste each ingredient (well, maybe not the eggs). The serving size is 1/2 cup and since it is so satisfying it's easy to only eat that much!

Especially when paired with a ripe nectarine. SO good. The tart of the nectarine and the lemon ice cream compliment each other very well.

One last thing for today. The other night I was driving home after dark and I saw a girl running in the dark. Please, please, PLEASE no matter how safe you think your neighborhood is, don't do this. Just. don't. do it.

Here's a couple of other safety tips I think every woman should read again and again.

1. Don't sit in your car in a parking lot. Get in your car and drive away. You are a sitting duck to predators because generally, you are not paying attention to your surroundings.

2. When driving, especially at night, lock your car doors. It's very easy for a stranger to approach you at a red light, get into your car and put a gun to your head.

3. Make eye contact. Generally, predators look for easy, passive targets. When you make eye contact, it says "I see you, I've seen your face, and I can identify you". Attackers will likely avoid anyone who might be able to identify them.

4. Look around you. Pay attention to your surroundings. When you are aware of who is around you, you can also notice anything or anyone suspicious.

5. Be mean. By all means, be a bitch. I don't use that word often but I mean it. Predators will play on the sympathies of women, asking for the time, directions, help with their car, lost puppy whatever. This also goes for if a stranger is approaching you or you've been attacked.

6. Be aggressive. You can shout "stay away!" if you feel they are advancing toward you. If you're attacked, go for soft spots, such as groin, stomach, throat, and eyes. Be as forceful as you possibly can.

7. Run. Even if he has a gun. Chances are, a predator will only hit a moving target 4 out of 100 shots.

8. Trust your gut. If you feel uncomfortable, or get a bad feeling about a stranger, you have a reason for feeling so. Move quickly and confidently.

And last but not least, to quote my dad: "You're not paranoid if they're really out to get you. Better paranoid than dead."

Be a tough girl, like Michelle Rodriguez.

Kind of a serious note but things can happen anywhere, anytime. Don't think that it won't happen to you. Turn on the news. Things happen to people everyday that they thought would never happen to them. We women needs to stick together!!

Not sure what the plans are for the weekend. Probably planting some flowers and perhaps a trip to the farmer's market. Happy weekend everyone! :)

Do you like sprouts?

What's your favorite ice cream?

What's your best safety tip?

I Like Green

Green is on of my favorite colors. I'm pretty good about eating dark green veggies such as broccoli, kale, green beans, spinach... Speaking of spinach, there's been a certain beverage that is making everyone crazy over.

Yup. Green Monster. I'm not a picky eater by any means. But spinach? In a drink? No way, nuh-uh, not gonna happen. Then I came across Angela from Oh She Glows. She has a whole website dedicated to green monsters. There was a recipe for a Virgin Green Monster. Ok maybe I could handle that. It only had 5 ingredients. Flax seed, spinach, banana, milk (I used soy) and ice.

I had the perfect banana: a few spots = smoothies only

Measured the flax. (Not pictured)

Added spinach and banana and soy milk. I used light vanilla soy milk by 8th Continent (they changed their packaging! Did anyone else notice this when panicking in the dairy section?) because it's a little sweeter than cow's milk.

(Speaking of soy milk, a quick yay and horray to my hubby who recently gave the stuff a try! Yay Jeremy!)

Giving it a try. Yes, this is what I look like when I wake up in the morning. Hmm, I've grown a few more freckles overnight.

It took a glass and a half, but I drank the entire concoction. It tasted like a thin banana milkshake with a little more... texture. Not bad. Not bad at all! :D

Something else I have been known to avoid? Watermelon. I realized that I like eating it, I just don't like having to carve it like a pumpkin first. Until I discovered these babies:

Those little mini melons might be a little more money but to me it's worth it. My tips for finding a good watermelon are heavy for it's size and when you pat it with your hand, it should sound pretty hollow.

With the summer heat, I've been on a bit of a sandwich kick. I can feel it just getting started. My newest treat: almond butter and agave on a whole wheat tortilla folded in half. I also gave in to my ultimate summer favorite:

The hamburger.

With melted fresh mozzarella, dill pickle, tomato and a fat leaf of Romaine.

I also had the best tuna sandwich of my life. New secret: add a little light sour cream and less mayo. This was also one of the messiest but it seems the messier the sandwich, the better it tastes.

In the tuna mix I also added salt, pepper, garlic powder and a spoonful of relish. Topped with tomato, spinach and avocado. Avocado makes a great replacement for cheese because of it's creaminess.

A couple of other summer induced cravings included baked beans and deviled eggs.

And I made a peach mocktail:

I added half a packet of Ocean Spray white cran-peach, about a cup of water, 1/3 can of Sprite and 1/4 peach (that's what the confetti flecks in the glass are.. peach skin!) and some ice. Gave it a whirl in the Magic Bullet and out came of refreshing drink. Perfect after I spent 2 hours mowing the lawn.

Now I'm off to wash the truck, pick up a new toy for Hunter, read my Women's Health mag that came a few days ago and download some new iTunes. My current favorite work-out tunes include: Evacuate The Dancefloor- Cascada, Puakenikeni- Nicole Shertzinger, Walk It Out- Unk, Brain Stew- Greenday and Unstoppable- Kat DeLuna & Lil Wayne!

Have you tried green monsters? What's your favorite combination?

What's your trick to finding a good melon?

What are some of your favorite work-out tunes?

A little of this, a little of that!

This is a bit of a long one, so get comfy!

Recently, I've seen several blogs about Trader Joe's egg white salad. Wow, that sounds great! Let me drive over to the nearest Trader Joe's to pick that up-- oh wait. There isn't one near me. :'(

So I struck out on my own to google such a recipe. This One was my main inspiration. I read through the ingredient lists of some and then examined what was available in my fridge. I combined finely chopped celery, cucumber, chives, egg whites from 12 boiled eggs, squirt of Miracle Whip, two heaping spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, salt, freshly ground pepper, onion powder and after much hesitation, a small dollop of dijon mustard (not pictured).

Then I took a potato masher and mixed/mashed the eggs and everything. Then I thought to myself: something is missing still. Then it hit me what my friend Sara says: "Everything is better with Laughing Cow" Why yes, Sara, everything IS better with Laughing Cow! I mashed in two wedges of the garlic and herb flavor.

Not going to lie here, when I mixed it all together, I looked at and thought, what have I done? I was NOT sure about how this would taste. You can't learn unless you try though, right?

So I gathered up what was left of my pride, toasted a piece of bread, added some spinach and put together the sandwich.

It was GOOD! I credit the onion powder, slight hint of dijon and of course Laughing Cow.

Breakfast the next morning was pretty red and white waffles:

Whole wheat waffles with a smear of Brummel and Brown butter, tons of sliced strawberries and a little bit of Tru Whip. I am more of a savory breakfast person, so I also had some scrambled egg whites.

I'm so classy, I wiped my strawberry hands on my t-shirt...

That night, I had a dear friend of mine over for dinner. I went for simple but delicious!

Oven Roasted Yukon Golds

Green Salad

Romaine, spinach, shredded carrot, cucumber, orange bell pepper, tomato, romano, parmesan and asiago cheese blend and freshly ground pepper.

Broiled Chicken Thighs

They're better on the BBQ, but ours isn't set up yet, and the broiler is SO underrated!

This is the simplest, most delicious marinade I know of. When my brother and I were little we were allergic to citrus fruit, peanuts, chocolate and tomatoes. We were lucky to outgrow them, but since we were allergic to tomatoes, most BBQ sauce was out of the picture. So this is how we ate "BBQ" chicken.

Soy Marinade

1/4 c. lower sodium soy sauce

2 tbs canola oil

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

I usually just mix them right in the mixing cup with a whisk or fork and then pour them over my chicken in a dish. Marinate for 15 to 30 min then cook up! I can't stress how good this is and it's so simple you MUST try it!

Afterwards, we went to see Battle of the Titans. I loved it! We stopped by the Cheesecake factory on the way home for dessert.

Red velvet and cheesecake, rich but delicious. Here's what they boxed up, I made though maybe a third of it. It took me three sittings to finish it. I could have gobbled up the left overs the next day, but I really wanted to savor and enjoy it.

I had leftovers for lunch the next day only I added some kalamata olives and artichoke hearts to my salad.

That night Sara came over and we watched Twilight. Can you believe she hadn't seen it? We both had been wanting to try banana soft serve that we'd read about on so many blogs, but our bananas weren't quite frozen enough. It still turned out to be a tasty treat.

I added fresh strawberries, Tru Whip and Caramel syrup to mine.

In case you haven't noticed I LOVE strawberries. They are my very favorite fruit. I buy huge flats at a time from CostCo and devour them by themselves, with Tru Whip, a little white chocolate syrup, in smoothies, or on waffles. Mmmm...

Tomorrow I'm off to browse the farmer's market, shop at the Co-op and do some yardwork!

What is your favorite summer fruit?

What combination do you like in smoothies? I stick to strawberry banana. Sometimes if I'm feeling adventurous, I also add a splash of OJ.

What are your weekend plans?