Day 4 and Rx Bars

I woke up this morning at 5:20am (on my own without my alarm clock - damn internal alarm clock) and rather than try to go back to sleep, fail and then be mad at myself for not waking up and going to Bar Method, I got my butt out of bed, dressed and out the door for the 6:30am class! And I am so glad I did!!!! I had a handful of nuts (almonds, cashew, walnut) on the bus crosstown which got my fully energized for class, and I packed a Coffee Cacao Rx Bar for post workout (it was really hard not to open it on the bus and sneak a bite).

I cannot even explain how good it felt to be at Bar Method today. I was smiling, happy, giddy and excited for class. And Amanda's class was a lot of fun (yes, fun at 6:30am does exist). Even during arabesque, when my standing leg was shaking and my glutes were burning and my eyes wanted to drop to the floor, I just kept thinking positive thoughts and pushed through (I can't tell you what these thoughts were because they were interspersed with a lot of cursing and internal crying of pain). It's only 3 minutes, right? I had such a great class, and walked out of the studio still smiling - I hope this is a permanent feeling because it really is amazing. I had my Rx Bar in the locker room while I got dressed - AMAZING, DELICIOUS - so satisfying. And while I was eating and getting ready a few girls started asking me about the product and about Whole30. When I told them it was a sugar, grain, gluten, dairy free program and lifestyle, they were shocked. A few said they couldn't live without cheese, and others said "well, I don't eat sugar anyway." Then we went on FreshDirect and looked at those 4 minute meals they eat and low and behold, the first few ingredients (besides grains and rice and wheat) were "sugar and rice malt" which Whole30 has deemed, sneaky sugars. They couldn't believe it, how could sugar be in their "real" food. Well if it has a barcode, it's most likely not real food. It was fun to talk about the program and reinforce my belief that Whole30 is changing my life, mentally and physically. I help helping my body and educating my mind.

The RxBar was the perfect post workout meal. It was sweet (from the dates and coconut and almonds) and had a great crunch and texture. I'm sure 4 days ago I would have said it was a bit bland and not "chocolatey" enough, but 4 days without sugar and it was really sweet to me! It kept me full for 2 hours after Bar Method when I made it to work and had an omelette with scallions, peppers, tomatoes, and spinach. I went to the omelette station and picked all of the vegetables they had and none of the meats or dairy. And no to homefries and toast - everyone in line looked at me like I was crazy, but the omelette was delicious. Meal #2 is soup and salad (and a mini larabar if I need it to hold me off until after the colonic. Since I have to stop eating at 2pm and I won't be home until 7:30pm, I just don't want to get a headache or dizzy from having such a wide gap in between meals).

 

Whole30 Approved stamped right on the packaging! Love it!

The Day 4 Whole30 Daily email was great to read this morning. It discusses cravings and how to differentiate between hunger and cravings. Basically, if steamed fish sounds good to you, you are really hungry and if not, step away from the chocolate! Walk away, fast, in fact, run!

I definitely battle with the "sugar dragon." I am a victim of what whole30 defines as HALT (eating when I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). Especially at work between the hours of 2pm and 5pm. I may have just finished a large lunch, but then work slows, emails stop coming in, Facebook isn't distracting me, and I reach in my drawer for an apple, or even worse, a quest bar, chocolate kisses, or anything sweet. But really, I am not hungry. I read the book "The Power of Habits" which is mentioned in today's email - 3pm is my cue, reaching in my drawer for food is the routine, and the reward of pleasure and happiness comes with each bite of sugary goodness...but then the reward disappears and I feel guilty, angry, and disappointed in myself. The reward is never as good as it seems 5 minutes later. So I need to create better habits at 3pm when the sugar dragon shows up - talk a walk, drink water, have herbal tea...create new habits for the same cue (3pm). And sometimes I convince myself that a fruit is better than the chocolate, but our brains do not differentiate between fruit sugar and chocolate sugar, it's all the same, so giving in to the sugar dragon with fruit is just as bad. It has been 4 days and I have not had a piece of fruit. I know fruit is nutritious and beneficial, but my sugar addiction is so real that I know that if I have fruit, I will have a much harder time resisting other types of sugar. I am keeping it clean!

Tonight is my colonic and I am excited to continue cleaning out my body of toxins. I have been eating clean for 4 days and feel healthier, lighter, and more regular. The colonic will only help with the benefits of Whole30. I will be getting home late for dinner which is what makes me nervous. Normally, I would microwave something quick and easy, but Whole30 does not allow that. Luckily, I have a lot of soup at home, eggs and a lot of greens. Tonight might be a boring Meal #3 just to feed my body quickly and remain healthy and on program.

Tomorrow morning I am not doing Bar Method because my body will be healing from the colonic. I plan to make N'Oatmeal for breakfast and relax and even walk to the office since the weather is warming up. I have planned a week of meals for Week #2 and lunches will be leftovers - I don't want to get bored or redundant with salads so I am finding new ways to use leftovers rather than just microwaving them in their original form. Short ribs can become taco salads, almond chicken will make a great salad, etc. I know I am only on day 4, but this positive attitude will hopefully remain for the next 26 days! And sharing everything here is really helping! I am so used to tracking my food with Weight Watchers that writing it all here is helping me remain accountable and make sure that I eat enough to be full until the next meal, but not overeating.

Tomorrow is my last night with Ryan still traveling and I think I want to treat myself to sushi. That means, SASHIMI (no rice), no soy sauce and no spicy mayo or tempura. I love sushi and am craving it so I am going to get a whole lot of salmon, tuna and yellowtail to fill me up. It will be worth the splurge and since Ryan hates sushi, this is my chance! 

Have a great day!

XO

Update: I think I am going to make salmon cakes for dinner tonight. I know it will be late when I get home, but they will be great to have for dinner, lunch tomorrow and breakfast on Saturday with a fried egg! I have canned salmon from Trader Joe's (only ingredient is pink atlantic salmon), and will use an egg, almond flour to hold them together and some onions and lemon and salt and pepper. I will fry them up in coconut oil! Since dinner will be later, I will probably have 2 patties on a bed of kale (with soup if I am that hungry). Tomorrow for lunch I will make my usual vegetable salad and breakfast Saturday will be a salmon patty with fried egg! Yummmmm.

Cold, Snowy Day in NYC

It's cold...like really cold. 8 degrees outside with a real feel of 0. Why would I want to go out in this weather? The snow storm last night left a lot of snow in New York - well, a lot of slush. The roads are slippery, it's hard to see the sidewalk from the street and everyone is just slushing around trying to get to work this morning. The cold winds are brutal and all I want is to be in bed with a warm cup of tea watching reality tv with Haley and Ryan. But instead, I bundled up and went to work. The trains were crowded and everyone was packed in like sardines. It was wet, it smelled bad and everyone was moaning and groaning and complaining. Snow in NYC is not fun - it's pretty from our windows, but down below it's a mess!

This morning I had a very different breakfast then anything I am used to. It was a delicious plate of assorted meats, egg whites and a lot of vegetables. Normally I would have had this for lunch, but I had a leftover Juice Generation Cashew Ravioli in the fridge at work and I wanted to eat that (although, I could have had the ravioli for breakfast). The plate reminded me of being back in Italy on our honeymoon. Meat and cheese for breakfast was a different concept to us when we first got there, but honestly, it is just a deconstructed omelette and it's a lot healthier then the bagels, breads and danishes a lot of people eat! My breakfast was colorful and healthy and filling which is always the most important thing. And it was only 4 points!

The starting lineup included:

Salami (14g)
Uncured Ham (2 oz.)
Egg white
Rice cake
Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Wedge
Broccoli
Baby Carrots
Blood Orange
Grapes
Tomatoes
Cucumber

It was a delicious breakfast filled with healthy nutrients, fiber and protein. I will be making this again soon because it was the perfect breakfast/lunch that had a lot of things to it but it was so simple and filling.

We are having dinner with my parents again tonight. My mom's fresh direct food delivery was cancelled because of the storm so she is throwing together a chicken pot pie. No matter what she makes it is always delicious and I can't wait for a warm home cooked meal - although she is hurting my daily WW points with her heavy meals! Chicken pot pie is over 20 points!!! But for a family dinner and time together, it is worth dipping into my extra 49 weekly points for her delicious, gluten free meals!

Stay safe and warm

XO

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Nutribullet

This is a fabulous dessert...something sweet, thick, peanut buttery, and a variety of fruit can be used to change the flavor for whatever you might be in the mood for. If you don't have a nutribullet you can use a blender.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Nutribullet
Servings: 1
Weight Watchers Points: 4

1 cup Spinach
1/2 Pear (I used peach in the photo)
1/2 Banana (use frozen for a thicker texture)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp powdered peanut butter
1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Put all ingredients in nutribullet and blast for 40 seconds.

Enjoy!

XO

Morning Green Juice

I am still full from last nights amazing family dinner. My mom cooked a gluten free menu to celebrate 37 years of marriage with my dad! It's so special to see 2 people together for that long and still be so in love. Ryan and I have been married 10.5 months and I hope we have 36 more years of this kind of happiness, plus more. My parents have been such role models to me growing up - they fight, they make up, they love, they travel together, they enjoy each others company, they like to be around each other and reflect that love in everything they do!

Last nights menu included:
Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes (black beans, ham, broccoli, cheese)
Veggie cups
Shrimp scampi (without pasta)
Grilled pears with mascarpone cream

Everything was delicious! I look up to my mom and her cooking skills. Growing up, we had homemade meals every night and sat together as a family to eat. I strive to have this for my family!

This morning was my day to sleep in and have breakfast with Ryan. Unfortunately, I was not hungry for breakfast so we split a green juice and he had scrambled eggs and bacon on the side!

Ryan and Leslie's morning GREEN juice
Servings: 2
Weight Watchers Points: 5

135g Kale (3 leaves)
250g Carrots (2 large)
185g Granny smith apple (1)
110g Cucumber (1/4)
100g Celery (3 small ribs)
210g Pineapple (3 slices)

I weighed everything to know the exact WW Points of the juice (11 points for both servings). Fruit/vegetables are 0 points with Weight Watchers, however, when you cook or juice fruit/vegetables, you change the structure of the food which means it has points. When you juice, the food loses the fiber so the sugar is more easily absorbed by our bodies. That is why it is important to balance fruits and vegetables in all juices and not have a pure fruit juice!

I hope everyone has a great day today! Ryan and I signed our lease and are moving in 2 weeks! We are so excited and can't wait to start designing and furniture shopping for our new apartment!!!!

XO

Brooklyn Battled for the Bridge and Brooklyn won!

Brooklyn won last night's battle for the bridge - well, I guess we knew Brooklyn would win, so...St. Francis College beat LIU Blackbirds 78-64. It was an amazing game. Everyone played so hard and it was so fast and exciting. Ryan and I even got St. Francis College Basketball shirts! Now we don't look so weird going to a college basketball game when we graduated college 5 years ago!

We both got home late last night so we didn't get to cook dinner. We both made a tuna fish salad with vegetables. Ryan had his on a rice cake and I stuffed mine in a cooked portobello mushroom. Normally, we would have stopped for a slice of pizza at the restaurant next to St. Francis College so this was a big improvement for both of us! We brought our own kettle corn popcorn to snack on during the game and my only weakness when we got home was I had a Gluten Free Brownie leftover from Wednesday night's batch. They're too good to resist and I can't let Ryan eat all of them!

Today is my last day on the Advocare 10-Day Cleanse. Tomorrow I go back to the trim line (this would be the max phase of the 24 day challenge after having done a 10 day clean phase). I feel good. I am glad I did a quick cleanse to start the New Year to clean my system of the holiday food and treats and to get me to focus on gluten free and clean eating.

Friday, January 10th 7:15am w/Anna T.

Warm-up and Arms
Thigh
Seat
Abs
Back Dancing
Final stretch

I left after the abs stretch before back dancing so I could shower and get to work on time since I took a later class, but I am glad I left because I heard "fold your mat in thirds and lay all the way back." My thighs shook as I walked out of class thinking about how sore they are from using a ball and mat every Bar class since the New Year.

It was a wintry mix of rain, sleet, hail and snow on my commute today so I wanted something warm for breakfast. It's the first working Friday of the month so it is bagel Friday! There were tempting Essa-Bagels all over the office. I don't crave bagels with cream cheese, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Essa-Bagel. I grew up eating them with my family - we would get a dozen bagels fresh out of the oven on Saturday mornings before we drove to Fire Island and on Christmas morning, my mom and I would go to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree at 5am before anyone else was awake and get Essa-Bagels for breakfast on our way home. Rather than cave in and have a warm, over-sized bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese (my mouth is watering as I type), I got a Cinnamon Roll Quest Bar (4 WW Points) and heated it in the microwave. It smelt like a fresh cinnamon roll right out of the oven. I ate this with an apple and was full until lunch!

Ryan made a juice at home: Orange, Apple, Beet

Tonight I am going out for my coworkers birthday! Stephenie and I have become close since she started working here and I am excited to celebrate with her and a few other friends. I think she said they were ordering pizza for dinner so hopefully I can find something gluten free to order or at least a salad. I am packing a Coconut Cashew Quest Bar in my bag for emergency!

It's supposed to warm up this weekend and Ryan and I are going to view an apartment in Park Slope and then go to the NYU vs. Brandies basketball game. I will hopefully go to Bar Method on Sunday morning - tomorrow just seems too busy to squeeze in my usual 8:30am morning class and be able to come home, eat breakfast, view an apartment and go to the game within a few hours of each other! I might take the day off. This week seems to be my "every other day" schedule which is okay with me - I just miss class!

Have a great Friday everyone!

XO

Lunch Out With the Girls!

It's really good to get away from your workspace and eat lunch out - this doesn't mean you have to go out for lunch every day, but change your scenery. Eat in a different part of the office, go for a walk and eat in the park if it's warm enough, but whatever you do, try not to eat lunch at your desk. When we eat where we work we don't get a break from working or spending time on social media. We don't get to focus on the food itself which causes us to overeat or not feel full and satisfied when our meal is done. When we are on our computer, watching TV, or texting on our phones while we eat, we don't savor the moments and the flavors of our food.

I have a bad habit of eating lunch at my desk and watching TV when I eat dinner. I know not to, but it's hard to get up and tune out. My goal in 2014 is to eat dinner with the TV off. Ryan and I are always watching the news or a sports game when we eat but we need to turn it off and focus on our meal and the time spent together. I also eat at my desk which is the worst habit that I have. I sit on Facebook or news sites or gchat while I eat. Sometimes I don't even look down at my food to see what I am eating. I lose the enjoyment in my meal and when there is no food left, I tend to still be hungry. My body also begins to associate my desk with eating and I become hungry all the time.

Today I went out to lunch with a few girls from work and we got sushi! It was great to get out of the office and walk to the restaurant despite the frigid temperatures and eat at a table that did not have a cell phone or a computer on it. I ordered the sushi lunch which was 2 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of salmon and 2 pieces of yellowtail sushi with a small salmon roll (9 WW points). I ordered it with salad (1 WW point for ginger dressing) instead of soup and ate it without soy sauce because that is one place gluten is always hiding. I loved being able to talk to people while I ate and not sit alone at my desk in silence. The food was good and the company was even better!

I have only a few points left for dinner tonight and without any vegetables in the house because we juiced everything it is hard to decide what to make that will keep my points low. I have a portobello mushroom cap left (no kale, spinach or peppers to stuff it with or to make a salad), but I might grill it and eat it on the side of a spinach or butternut squash garden lites. We are going to the basketball game so I want to be full so I can get through the night while avoiding the tempting smells of pizza, popcorn and chicken fingers! But Ryan and I always have a great time at college basketball games and tonight it's a battle for the bridge! Go Brooklyn!

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

I always need chocolate...

Mid-afternoon snack today is fresh orange slices topped with chocolate powdered peanut butter. I always crave chocolate and this snack is the perfect combination to satisfy me. I only used 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter so it was a delicious 0 point snack.

Can't wait for bar class tonight. I really need to start shaking - Monday's class feels so long ago.

I haven't taken off my fleece since I got to the office. Just thinking about going outside gives me goosebumps. I am excited for it to warm up this weekend, even if the forecast calls for rain. Ryan and I are going with my brother to the Brandeis vs. NYU basketball game. I love going to college basketball games and my brother is Brandeis alum so it should be a lot of fun. Ryan and I will have to plan out what to eat before the game because I don't want us to be tempted by sandwiches and pretzels while we sit for a 2 hour basketball game. Ryan said he would go to the game as long as we were home by 8pm for the New England Patriots game. Welcome to NFL playoffs - my life is scheduled around football games! Is it February 3rd yet? :)

XO

How Do We Know What To Believe

For a long time we have been told that we should be eating a low fat, healthy carb (whole grain) diet. But what if the carbs we are eating are killing us. Even the healthy carbs labeled as whole grain. In a book I have read "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter, he claims that we are poisoning our brain by eating carbohydrates. He claims that carbs cause dementia, AHDH, headaches and other brain disorders. What if we all stopped believing that fat was bad and instead followed a high fat, low carb diet. Could we cure migraines, ADHD and dementia?

For years I thought eating fat was bad. And counting points make oil out to be "bad" to eat; a tbsp of olive oil and coconut oil has 3 points. And coconut oil has a lot of saturated fat which we have come to believe can lead to cardiovascular disease. But what if this wasn't true and eating saturated fats and more oils could help us overcome a lot of disorders that we all face everyday or could face in the future.

Dr. David Perlmutter says that we have all been influenced by scientific studies and advertising to eat a certain way. He claims that the pharma companies have a hand in medications meant to cure specific diseases so they promote specific dietary lifestyles in order to boost diagnoses. However, if we changed the way we think about fat and food, we could get rid of medications and use food as medicine. A low carb diet would having the amount of carbs in one serving a fruit per day. Personally, this is extremely difficult because I eat at least one serving of fruit with each meal. Because fruit is 0 points on weight watchers, I see it as a healthy snack to keep me full in between meals. Another statement Dr. Perlmutter states that we should all be gluten free. Gluten, a protein, causes inflammation in our bodies - inflammation of blood vessels leads to migraines, muscle aches, stomach discomfort and many other ailments. Healthy grains such as oats, barley, quinoa, rye are all grains that could be causing us personal discomfort. If we see food as comforting, we should be providing our bodies with the best comfort we can. Food is medicine - it should help us get through the day and not put us in pain. He states that we need to eat healthy fats like oil, nuts, avocados because saturated fat feeds the brain and one Mayo clinic study showed a reduction of dementia in those who hate a diet including saturated fat.

Since reading this book, Ryan and I have both focused on being gluten free. We are combining paleo and gluten-free diets to work for us. If we can't make this a lifestyle, then it becomes a diet and every diet fails. We need to work to make this a way of living so that we can live the best life for us.

My favorite snack high in fat is avocado on toast (gluten free of course). Although this could be considered a high carb snack and high fat, it works for me and it is something I enjoy eating. I want to love food and not see it as something to be dreaded. I don't want to fear going over WW points daily or fear I might gain weight if I eat too much "fattening foods." But my way of thinking has to changing because avocados and oil and nuts are not "fattening foods," they are just foods containing fat. Fattening foods are the junk - the sugar, the high carbohydrates.

In the past 2 weeks that I have been completely glute-free I have felt so much better. I have a lot more energy, I am less bloated, my clothes are fitting better and my skin is clearing up. I don't want people to assume I am gluten free because I want to lose weight. Weight isn't my concern. The "I look like I am 3 months pregnant," is not a fun way to feel every day. My clothes are tight when I eat gluten and carbs and since eating more vegetables, protein and cutting gluten, I have noticed a difference in my stomach. It seems flatter and less tight. My skin doesn't feel stretched or pulled in the wrong direction and pants that I can barely button on my "fat days" have fit every day no matter what I have eaten or how little I have worked out. I hope to post a before and after photo after I finish the Advocare 10-Day Herbal Cleanse. Although I don't think the cleanse has helped me lose weight, it has kept me on track to eating clean, gluten free and less processed foods.

I got home at 2:30am yesterday (this morning) from Long Island, so I decided it was better for me to sleep in a bit versus waking up early to go to Bar Method. Sometime sleep is better for my body and mind than exercise. I slept in until 9am which is very late for me!! Ryan and I made breakfast together and watched Weeds all morning.

Ryan's breakfast was a carrot, apple, orange and beet juice (I am so proud of him for drinking fresh citrus juice versus the sugary Tropicana OJ he usually has every morning) and bacon with scrambled eggs. I was out of oats so instead of my favorite egg white and oatmeal pancake I made an egg and an egg white in a pepper with bacon and Udi's gluten free Chia seed toast with chocolate powdered peanut butter (can you see the trend that I am a chocolate addict!)

The eggs were really easy to make.

Eggs in a Pepper
*Cut a pepper into rings
*Spray pan with olive oil (I used coconut oil for a bit more flavor)
*Cook the peppers 1 minute on each side or until they soften
*Crack an egg into the egg (make sure the pan is hot enough so the egg white stays inside of the pepper ring)
*Season with salt and pepper
*Flip carefully and cook to desired length

I did one egg and one egg white to keep my points lower this morning (Pepper with Egg: 2 points, Pepper with Egg White: 0 points)

I had one slice of bacon (1 point), a slice of Udi's bread (2 points), topped with 2 tsp of powdered chocolate peanut butter (0 points) and an orange.

After breakfast and another lazy morning on the couch, we ventured into the cold to go to Trader Joe's for a weekly grocery trip. I hate NYC after it snows. The streets are already slushy, the snow has melted and there are mounds of snow/ice on the sides of the street so there is very little space on the sidewalk. Everyone is slipping and sliding everywhere and there are puddles on every corner. As pretty as the snow is, it is a slushy mess in the city.

We made it a point to only shop the perimeter at TJ's (we don't have an oven so most of the frozen products we couldn't purchase anyway). We bought a lot of vegetables for salads (spinach, kale, arugula, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, peppers), vegetables to snack on (green beans, baby carrots), and vegetables for entrees (zucchini). We bought chicken breasts so that I can make chicken piccata for dinner tomorrow night using almond meal instead of flower and we bought applegate turkey for sandwiches. We got an antioxidant trek mix with almonds, cashews and cranberries that we love to throw in a bowl of popcorn for dessert. The saltiness of the buttery tastes so good with the sweetness of the nuts and fruit. Of course I like to add a little chocolate if we can. Tonight we have chocolate covered pomegranates!

I also bought something new; roasted coconut chips. Because we are trying to incorporate more healthy fat into our diet, I thought these would be something fun to try. I looked them up on Fooducate which is a great app that rates food items and I purchased the add-on that lets me know if they contain gluten. Unfortunately, the coconut chips got a D rating but after reading why, it is because they contain saturated fat! Now, after everything I read in Grain Brain, I know that this grade is not something that will make me put the product back on the shelf. It is important to read the nutrition label and understand the ingredients as they relate to your lifestyle and what you want to get out of the food you eat. Because I want a higher fat, lower carb diet, the D rating for containing saturated fat was something I ignored. And I am glad I did - the coconut chips were delicious. The perfect amount of sweetness that could almost make me not eat chocolate for dessert one night (almost). The bag is 2 oz and 1 serving size is half the bag (4 points).

For lunch, I made a "lunchable" with baby carrots (0 points), 18 back to nature white cheddar gluten free crackers (3 points), Galaxy Go Veggie Cheddar slice (1 points), 2 oz. applegate turkey (1 point and a power food) and 7g of coconut chips (1 point). It was the perfect lunch to eat while we relaxed on the couch and watched more episodes of Weeds.

I am starting to see a pattern with how this New Year is going - a lot of good eating, relaxing, little activity, very few Bar classes - I'm not sure I am that big of a fan. I would like to have more activity and more bar classes to go with my good eating habits but this cold weather makes it really difficult to feel motivated. I am not getting down on myself because it is only the first week of the year and it is good to give my body a break from my usual routine. Hopefully the weather will warm up and I will want to go for a walk after dinner or even after lunch to get up and away from my desk! Tomorrow morning I am definitely going to the 8:30am Bar class with Anna!!

Ryan is a little antsy today - I think the week and half off of work for the holidays and snow storm and being stuck in our small apartment with each other is starting to get to us. There's not much room in our apartment to get our own space. He is very excited for the football game (yup, that's right, football on Saturday and Sunday for the NFL playoffs)!

I guess I will start cooking dinner soon to keep myself busy and active! I am making lemon pepper grilled swordfish steaks cooked in coconut oil!!! Can't wait to share the recipe and photos

Traveling and eating healthy

I am on my way to Long Island. I bundled and layered up and went outside for the first time all day. The LIRR is running on a weekend schedule so it is extremely packed and slow going but I am happy to be on my way. Hopefully the train ride back tonight at midnight won't be too bad!

I got to penn station early because I didn't know how delayed the subway would be. I picked up a book at Penn Reader "the art of racing in the rain" and looked around for something to eat. Since going gluten free I have realized how limited the options are while traveling. I have tried to eat healthy since starting weight watchers and always count points, but clean healthy gluten free eating while traveling is very difficult. I was surrounded by hot and crusty, au Bon pain, Starbucks, pizza, Krispy creme, dunkin donuts, Pizza Hut, etc. I settled on a fruit salad and had packed a strawberry cheesecake quest bar (4 points) with me.  I almost bought a package of Tates gluten free chocolate chip cookies just because I was excited to see something gluten free but that's not the answer, a cookie is still a cookie!

If food options while traveling were healthier a lot more people would be inclined to eat better. What makes pizza and bagels "on the go food?" Salads and fruit are just as convenient.  We need to change the norm of convenience foods so that more people have access to healthy eating. And yes my $3.50 fruit salad is more expensive than a .79 cent donut but it's more filling and a healthier choice. 

When we were in Italy we had sandwiches and chips on the train ride between Venice and Florence and again between Florence and Rome. It was even harder in Italy to find fresh fruit. I found myself craving fruit and not just the sugar craving but the actual sweetness and juices of a fresh orange or apple. I love fruit. I know it is pure sugar and our body doesn't recognize fruit sugar or white sugar differently but I feel it differently. I feel lighter and cleaner eating an apple versus a piece of toast. I crave the apple and not the carbohydrates of bread. It feels good to want to eat healthy, I just wish it was easier and more accessible at all times. 

Snowy Day Kiddy Lunch

A snow day means making lunch from whatever I can find in my house! That means my lunch plate looks like a 5 year old's lunch! But it was gluten free and it was good.

I heated up 4 Gluten Free chicken nuggets (3 points) and a Spinach Garden Lites Souffle (4 points). I also had some frozen grapes in the freezer. The spinach souffle tasted great. It was a but more watery than the other ones I have had, but it was light, airy, and had a lot of flavor. At 140 calories per souffle I feel good eating it. I love frozen grapes. They are like dessert - cold, sweet and just all around fun to eat. I wish I could afford to always have them in the house but freezing them helps me control how fast Ryan and I eat grapes. I also love adding fresh grapes to salad when I want something juicy and sweet.

I am still torn between staying home tonight and going out to Long Island. I really want to see my friends and I think I will have a good time once I am there. It will also get me off the couch and dressed and outside. But should I really be outside when it is -15 degrees and the News says it is dangerously cold and has conditions for hypothermia? My fear is standing on the train tracks waiting for a train that could be delayed and freezing my butt off. I just want to be there or not. The traveling part is what I hate the most. I have to leave at 4:30pm if I decide I am going. Everyone is offering to pick me up from the train station because they really want me to come out, which is so nice and I am so appreciative. I just have to decide if I can physically bear going out in the frigid cold!