Fitness and Nutrition Links

I have been really off my normal routines for a few months and it's time to get back to my old self. I need to get back to my blogging, working out, sleeping better, getting back in shape, eating healthier, and cutting the alcohol intake. It has been a crazy few months for us. We bought a house, (our first), which is really fun and exciting but it has also been stressful. I also traveled to Hong Kong for work for two weeks in the middle of all of this and now I'm getting ready to go for another two weeks. I have so much to catch up on and so many posts to share!

Today, I want to share some helpful links that I have come across and that I am using to get myself back on track. Starting with eating better and holding myself accountable for what I eat.

1. Eatingwell.com

What I like about this site: The meal planner. It allows you to search for healthy recipes and add them to your menu plan. You can plan the whole week and then view your shopping list which is really nice! It will also total your daily calories and this is helpful if you are trying to lose weight and need to create a calorie defecit. You can also calculate your BMI and it will tell you how many calories you need daily to maintain or to lose weight.

2. Calorie Counter

What I like about this site: you can add your own recipes and analyze them so it will break down your nutrition information by serving. It's really great for me to copy and paste recipes that I want to try directly into here and then get the information so easily. Like many other sites, it too allows you to track your meals, excercise and weight loss progress, however, it is a bit more user friendly than some of the others I have tried to use. It also gives you in depth analysis of your progress and you will be surprised how detailed it is in evaluating your food. It also has an app for the iphone and android.

The next group of links relates to fitness. I wanted to share this new iphone app I found today and also a blog post that has a great ab workout.

1. Runtastic

I downloaded the app for my iphone but they also have a website. It is a GPS for outdoor or indoor tracking. I used it today to go for a run around my new neighborhood which I'm not very familiar with yet so it was amazing. It works as a GPS while recording your route on a street map of your neighborhood, tracks your speed, distance, calories burned, and saves them by date so you have a journal of your workouts. It's my new favorite discovery! I ran 2 1/2 miles today and I felt great so I'm going to be using this one a lot.

2. FollowTheLita

This is a fitness blog I follow and today I came across this post with a video of her abs workout. She posted these P90x videos off youtube and let me just tell you...they are not easy. I tried them today after my run and I can really feel it. I am going to start incorporating them into my work outs 2 or 3 times a week. Go over the FollowTheLita and check out the videos she has posted under my fav ab workout.

I'm really tired, it was a long productive day and I need to get some sleep before I start my week all over! Stay tuned for more web links and healthy inspirations!

Must See Fitness Site!

I just found this amazing site called Bodyrock.tv and am envious of this girls stomach for sure! She has so many great excercises, recipes, and other great advise. She also has many videos that are all free to watch. She posts quite a lot too. I haven't actually tried any of her intervals yet but they look really hard plus I'm willing to try if it means a body like hers!

Shoes > Self Control

Now please forgive the terrible photos as well as the outfit that was not planned to go with them but I was just so excited to show off the new shoes. I'll be the first to admit that self control in the shoe department is not something that I pride myself on. I guess that's why I ended up with two new pairs today!!!

Call it a mental illness if you will but I just loose all control when shoes come into the picture. Like for example today.... I walk into the store and as I'm approaching the shoes I can feel the A.D.D take over. I don't know where to look and I'm all over the place. I also know very well that once a shoe is on my foot and I love it, I am simply not leaving without it! Therefore, in an effort to control myself, I am not much of a browser. I only enter a shoe store when I am there to purchase and I have to decide that in an environment free of shoes (so that my decision isn't swayed of course)

Last week was my birthday and I was given money from both my parents and Drew's so it only made since that new shoes were on the horizon. The first thing I said this morning when I opened my eyes was, "I am going shoe shopping today" When I got there, I really did have every intention of only buying one pair, I really did but I like I said, I loose control.

So there I was sitting in a pile of boxes debating if it was ok to buy three or four pair when I spotted this beautiful pair of Rachel Roy boots. The minute I put my foot in, that feeling came over me! I immediately ran to a mirror to marvel at they're beauty, leaving my purse and coat on a seat unattended. Luckily other people shopping for shoes today were honest because they could have robbed me blind and I would have never noticed till I went to pay. I'm actually just assuming other people get swooped off to the happy shoe place I'm in and don't even notice how neglectful I am of my belongings. Anyways, I am really excited about them if you can't tell. I even had to put them in my trunk on the way home so that I didn't reck my car staring at them the whole way home!

I also got a pair of heels that were on clearance, I couldn't pass up a deal!

Anyways, long story short...happy birthday to me!

Poached Eggs and sauteed kale for breakfast

I'm not very big of sweet for breakfast kind of girl but I really love a savory breakfast and this one was also very healthy. I was so excited to use my home made bread for the toast and my home made chicken stock to saute the kale. The picture isn't the best best but trust me it was really good. I found the recipe on Foodwoolf if you want to try it for yourself.

More about shoes...

This time about men's boots!

I really love all shoes, not just women's and I bought my boyfriend a really nice pair of men's polo boots for Xmas. I love that they are both fashionable and rugged at the same time. I think part of the reason they feel so manly, despite the shearling, is that they are a size 13!

Here's Drew trying them on and you can't see this but I'm letting him know it will not be acceptable to wear them with his Abercrombie gym shorts! He has since worn them with jeans, and I have to say I did a good job!

My first home made bread

I decided that I would try my hand at making my own bread so I found this delicious recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I made mine with coconut oil instead of butter and added flax and steel cut oats. I also added oats and sesame seeds to the top. I was pretty impressed with how good and healthy it was.

Trying to get back on the wagon is tough...

I've been trying to force myself to eat healthy and go back to the gym, so I'm going to be posting some healthier recipes than I have been. The going back to the gym part is really the easy part because I really like to work out. I love being at the gym, I love being sore, and I love the way I feel after a good work out. The hard part is that I really like to cook as well and I like to try new recipes. Most of the recipes that look good and that I want to try are not the healthiest. They're not terrible usually but they're not the kind of things that work for me when I'm trying to get really lean. I could make them healthier, but let's face it, they just wouldn't taste the same. I'm not going to a totally strict diet just yet, but I am trying to be better.

Saturday night, I made my boyfriend's sister in law's salmon recipe and it was really tasty! We had that with some kale and brussel sprouts. I worked out on Saturday so I thought it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra greens!

Nikki's Salmon Marinade and Sauce

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

3 Tblsp. Bourbon

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Lime Juice

1 Tbsp. ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and marinate fish for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

2. Then simmer marinade until it thickens, and use it as a sauce.

For the brussel sprouts, see my earlier post called My tasty NYE. for the recipe.

Here's the ingredients you will need for the greens.

I actually, wanted to make Rapini but they didn't have any that day, so I made Kale instead but it was really good and healthy too.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale

Orange zest and fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1 small shallot, diced

crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

a splash of white vinegar

Directions:

1. Add a tbsp. of co cconut oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add garlic and shallots and cook until softened.

3. Add kale, orange zest,orange juice, crushed red pepper

4. Season with salt and pepper

5. Cook kale until bright green and add a splash of vinegar