Weekday Family Breakfast

Well I did it, I slept in until 6am. Now I know what you're thinking - that's sleeping in? Well it is when my alarm usually goes off before 5am. I was sore this morning, I was doing cobra stretch and oblique stretches in bed before I could even think to roll out of it. I guess a night class can help change my body along with my usual morning classes. It is important to change your workout routine so that you constantly surprise your muscles and they don't get bored and used to the routine. This also means changing what time of day you work out. During the holiday vacation I took late morning bar classes and I found them more challenging than my usual 6:30am class. This is because my body was not used to working out at this hour and my muscles were fatiguing faster. So my usual Bar Method schedule is now:

Monday: 6:30am
Tuesday: 7:30am
Wednesday: 6:00pm
Thursday: Off (or 6:00pm
Friday: 6:30am (or 7:00am)
Saturday: 8:30am
Sunday Off (or 8:30am)

It is good to have some variation and be able to have a few mornings to sleep in and I loved eating breakfast with Ryan and Haley.

Today we made an extra large fresh orange juice to share. He had scrambled eggs with bacon (no bread) and I had an egg white omelet with kale and tomato. I was planning to have my favorite egg white and oatmeal pancake but I wanted to keep my daily points low early in the morning and since I was having a juice, I had a vegetable egg white omelet instead. Fruit and vegetables are only 0 WW points when eaten whole but once you change their original state by cooking or juicing them, they count as points. And fruit has a lot of sugar so it raises the points for a juice very quickly. I prefer my juices to have 1 piece of fruit for every 2 vegetables, but Ryan has juiced everything in our fridge and we used the last of our produce from Sunday's groceries.

Ryan and Leslie's Morning Juice
Servings: 2
Weight Watchers Points per serving: 4

1/2 cup Kale
2 oranges
1 apple
2 beets
2 carrots
2 apricots

Kale and Tomato Egg White Omelet
Servings: 1
Weight Watchers Points: 2

1/2 cup All Whites 100% Liquid Egg Whites
1/2 cup kale
1/2 plum tomato

I topped the finished omelet with flax seeds for added omega-3 benefits and enjoyed with a side of sliced banana.

I am not used to eating so early (7:30am) so I was worried I would be hungrier sooner for lunch than my usual 1:00pm timing, but I am still full and satisfied from the juice and omelet. I was going to surprise Ryan with Almond Flour pancakes for breakfast this morning but he wanted to stick to a healthier, more protein filled weekday breakfast and save the pancakes for this weekend. Again, loss of words but I am so happy. I am going out with friends for sushi for lunch today and can't wait!

Tomorrow is my last day on the Advocare 10-Day cleanse and then I go back to taking the MNS Trim line products. I feel like the cleanse was a great way to start the new year. It helped me get back on track with eating gluten free and with eating clean. I will take measurements tomorrow and compare to January 1. I am going to wait to weigh myself until mid-January - as a Weight Watchers Lifetime Member I have to weigh in once a month and be within 2 pounds of my goal weight. When we got back from Italy on November 11th, I had gained 6 pounds and had to drop 4 to be within my range. It was a hard 2 weeks but I managed to drop the 4 pounds by December 23rd - right in time for the Holiday season. I want to give my body a break from the holidays and be able to process this new diet of gluten free and clean eating and weigh in at the end of the month. Again, I'm less worried about the number on the scale now but in order to receive Weight Watchers tracking and membership for free, I do have to hop on the scale at least once a month. But since doing this cleanse and changing my eating habits, my clothes are fitting much better and I feel more confident when I look at my body. I don't need the numbers to define how I should feel. My size 2 pants still fit and I feel good wearing them. I just hope to be able to improve my activity as the weather warms up and balance my good eating habits with good workout and activity habits. And now that I have a partner in the kitchen who eats clean and is starting to measure his serving sizes, maybe I will also have a partner to remain active with. Ryan and I love taking evening walks together and he is loving taking monthly Bar Method classes - maybe he'll even join me for a 6:30am class one day soon!!

My coworker tried the Nibblr snack Apple of my Pie which I gave her since it contains wheat. She said it was absolutely delicious and wants to buy more! I love having the delivery of these healthy snacks to my office. Even if they just start stockpiling in drawer, it is great to know that I can always reach for a healthy pre-portioned snack. And I love being able to share these snacks with other people!

Have a great day!

XO