Bikram Challenge

Today I decided to take my first Bikram Yoga class in over a year. I've always "enjoyed" Bikram-- you know, as much as anyone can enjoy sitting in a hot as balls, humid room while trying to hold these ridiculously tricky poses and still breathe--and early last year I was going two times per week, every week, religiously. The studio was near where I was taking classes so I could get into PT school AND right where my mother-in-law lived (she watched Bubs while I was in school) and it was convenient to go right when I got out of class and then pick up Bubs and go home. Then my knee started bothering me and classes ending, leaving me with an hour commute each way just to take a yoga class. So I just couldn't do it anymore.

Good news though! The studio in Durham is exactly 10 minutes from my house and its a nice easy commute. They are a little pricey, but not too shabby and my first class was fantastic. I don't know if it's because I'm in better shape from all of the running I've been doing over the past few months, but it wasn't as challenging as I remember it being when I did it in VA. It was also a lot more laid back. In VA, the instructors were adamant about complete silence, which is completely understandable during the postures and savasana and whatnot, but at the end of this session, everyone clapped and cheered, like "Yay, we did it!" It was nice. And I liked the instructor, she wasn't too demanding or demeaning like some of the instructors at the studio in VA. All-in-all it was a great first experience, and I'm excited to go back. I bought a 7-day unlimited introduction package for $25. So, I can go for the next consecutive 7 days as many times as I want. So that's what I'm going to do. Today was day 1. I'm going to try to go at least 5 more times (Friday, I'm taking a day trip to the beach with Bubs and my sister, so that's why I say 5 instead of 6). Tomorrow, the class I can make is at 8 pm. So, here's to the challenge! :)

Also, here are my stats for today...not too great, not awful...it was that damn cookie pie:

B: Blueberry Maple Fridge Oatmeal (recipe here). I didn't particularly like this flavor (mainly because I'm not a huge fan of blueberries, I'm just trying to eat them before they go bad)
L: Chickpea Burger in a Flatout Wrap with tomato slices and Avocado Cream Sauce
S: Avocado Cream Sauce with Multigrain Chips (My cream sauce was going to go bad, so I ate it like it was guacamole with some chips to get rid of it)
Ds (Yes, I ate dessert after lunch): .75 servings of the Cookie Pie
D: Salmon fillet with mango salsa and tons of broccoli (devoured after yoga at 10 pm)
Ds: .75 servings of Cookie Pie

I need to put the cookie pie away. ahhhh!!!!

Goal: 1400
Consumed: 2014
Exercise: 317
Net: 1697
Remaining: -297

May I just say, that I have absolutely no idea how many calories Bikram Yoga burns, honestly. I've heard that it can burn up to 1000 calories and then I hear critics say that it's only about 200, if that. This form of yoga is not listed in My Fitness Pal app, so I just used regular yoga. I'd rather be on the low side instead of overestimating.

Chocolate Covered Katie is My Hero [Recipe]

So, I have Chocolate Covered Katie listed as one of my favorite blogs, and for serious, I am not kidding, she is amazing. Go to her website immediately. I've recently been gathering up some serious courage to try some of her recipes. I started with a fan favorite of hers, the Sugar Free Deep Dish Cookie Pie. I haven't actually had the chance to try it yet, but the batter was freakin' delicious so I'm assuming the actual, baked pie will be just as fantastic. I had to make some modifications based on what I had so here's what I did:

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup unsweetened, original almond milk
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup 1-minute Quaker Oats
• 2 packets Stevia in the Raw
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a round baking pan (9x9)
2. Mix the first seven ingredients together in a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients minus the chocolate chips in a different bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix thoroughly.
3. Add the mixture to your food processor. I had to do it in four batches because I have the smallest food processor ever. I also found that I had better success, if I scooped out some of the dates, added them first to the food processor and processed them for a few minutes, and THEN added the rest of the ingredients.
4. Add all of the mixture to pan and bake for about 40 minutes until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

I calculated the nutrition information based on the ingredients I used and here's what it looks like:

Serving Size: 1/8th of a pie
Calories: 376
Total Fat: 15g
Monounsaturated: 1g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 118mg
Potassium: 103mg
Total Carbs: 59g
Dietary Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 29g (mostly natural sugars from the stevia, dates, and honey...but, don't forget those chocolate chips)
Protein: 8g
Vitamin A: 5%
Vitamin C: 1%
Calcium: 11%
Iron: 13%

Not too shabby considering a regular cookie pie is probably like 800 calories per serving. So...yea. I plan on serving this to my husband tonight with coconut whipped cream (recipe here...its super easy) and see what he says! Fingers crossed!

Last Post for Today...I Swear

I'd like to point out to those who did not notice my last post, I have tried me some spaghetti squash as a pasta replacement, and may I say that,  while the Hubs thought it was nasty, Bubs was none the wiser when I plopped down her plate of "Nu-Nu's" and parmesan the other night and watched her devour it all.

I was in heaven. It was absolutely the best replacement for spaghetti I could have every imagined. It was so good. It doesn't taste like squash. I hate squash. This was different. It was crisp, but stringy and tasted amazing with the different toppings I added over the past few nights. That's right, I had enough for 3 dinners.

Here's what I did:

Night #1: Plain spaghetti squash, Worchestershire and Montreal Steak seasoned sauteed mushrooms with tomato basil sauce
Night #2: Sundried tomato pesto spaghetti squash and grilled salmon with italian seasonings
Night #3: Sundried tomato pesto spaghetti squash with two portobella mushrooms each with a wedge of garlic and herb laughing cow light cheese, a tomato and topped with a 1/2 tablespoon of parmesan, baked at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Amazing. And it's only about 40 calories per cup as opposed to 200 calories per 2 oz of regular pasta, depending on how you season it. I had like 3 cups at each meal and was 100% full and satisfied.

And if you don't know how to cook a spaghetti squash, here's how:

1. Cut it in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds
2. Poke a bunch of holes in it and season it with italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whatever you like.
3. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 1-1.5 hours. The flesh should easily come away from the rind.
4. Scoop it out into a dish and season it as you please, maybe add some olive oil and voila! spaghetti squash!

Ok, I'm done sharing this amazingness with you now! Go try it! I don't think I'll ever eat regular pasta again! (okay, well that might be a lie....)

Chickpea Burgers with Avocado Yogurt Sauce [Recipe]

I adapted this recipe from Macheesmo and it can be found here. Picture is courtesy of that website.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/4 cup flax
• 1/2 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt
• 3-4 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons cilantro (I use a cilantro paste)
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix chickpeas, yogurt, cilantro and garlic in food processor until completely smooth.
2. Add other ingredients, except for green onion and process again until completely smooth
3. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat at medium-high. Make four patties and place in pan, heating through, browning on both sides.

Nutritional Information, makes 4 servings: 160 calories per serving, 5g fat, 22g carbs, 8g fiber, 2g sugar, 8g protein

For the Avocado Yogurt Sauce:
In food processor, blend two medium, ripe avocados with 1/4 cup fat free greek yogurt, 1/4 cup red onion, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and garlic powder to taste until very smooth. Top chickpea burgers.

Nutritional Information, makes 8, 1/4 cup servings:  82 calories per serving, 7g fat, 314mg potassium, 5g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g protein

No Sidewalks! GRR!!!

CW: 186.6lbs (19.4lbs lost)

I hate North Carolina and its no-sidewalk-ness. It makes me not want to run. And I was doing so well. L Everything is main roads here. I could totally deal with running on the street if I were running through neighborhoods. But as soon as I leave my immediate neighborhood I am on a main road and there are no other neighborhoods in sight. I’d just run in my neighborhood if it weren’t exactly .15 miles—that would get boring really quickly.

So Hubs and Bubs and I went to the Duke Gardens yesterday around 10:30 in the morning. We had a picnic and played a little bit of soccer in the field and then we walked to the lake to look at the ducks. Bubs had a fantastic time! When we got home, I decided to go for a jog. It was noon. It was 102 degrees outside. I ran for maybe a quarter mile and then thought I was going to die so I power walked instead (for 3.06 miles in 43 minutes). And the entire time I was just dreaming about water. Blah. It was too much. I felt like crap. When I got home I chugged two liters of water, took a cold shower, ate some chickpea patties and avocado yogurt sauce, and then took a 3 hour nap. I was drained.

I woke up feeling pretty refreshed though. So I guess that’s good. This whole moving process and all the things we have to do to get our house in order has just completely drained me. And did I mention that my knee is giving me fits again? I know I did already...but still. The little bit that I did run yesterday, I basically limped and my knee hurt the entire time. L I think I need to get ANOTHER opinion on this bad boy. I’m so sick of it. I want to be able to run and cut and jump like I used to. Just playing around at the Gardens with Bubs and Hubs was a bit painful. I couldn’t change directions quickly and its not like I was playing in a super competitive game or anything, we were just goofing off, playing keepaway, ya know? Sigh….

The only plus side about all this is that I’ve gotten back in to some good eating habits and I’ve lost a little bit more weight even without a whole lot of exercise this past week. So that’s a positive. Gotta think about the positives….oye.

Yesterday’s (Sunday 7/8/12) Menu:

B: Strawberry, Banana, Almond Butter and Granola Flatout Wrap found here with 3 pineapple spears (539 cal)
L: Two chickpea patties with avocado yogurt sauce (496 cal)
D: Spaghetti Squash with sundried tomato pesto and grilled salmon (504 cal)
Ds: 3 angel food cupcakes with 1/3 less fat strawberry cream cheese topping (238 cal)

Totals

Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1777
Exercise: 315
Net: 1462
Remaining: -62

Not bad. And to be honest, I’m eating good things and in moderation so I’m feeling pretty good about my calorie intake. I’m trying to eat more cleanly—less processed foods, less carbs, less refined white sugar, more fruits, veggies and protein. So far, I’m doing well, and the foods that I’m eating I actually like. Craziness!

P.S. Check out my recipe section! I'm slowly adding new recipes that I've either created myself or stolen/adapted from someone on Pinterest (giving them full credit of course)! Of course, I'm still experimenting in my kitchen so keep checking back for new ones!

I Didn't Work For This...

CW: 189.4lbs (16.6lbs lost)

Um, really? I’ve been eating like shit and not exercising for the past week and THAT’s what I read today. REALLY? I am so surprised, and very happy to be honest, but still….surprised. And maybe a little pissed, too, because I distinctly remember working my ass off for 1 measly lb a few weeks ago....grrrr.

Anyway, my menu for today:

B: Blueberry protein pancakes with strawberry garnish and lite syrup
L: Sweet Frog frozen yogurt – banana pudding flavor with nilla wafers and whipped cream (yummo)
D: 3 chicken and veggie kebobs with a piece of flat-out bread and hummus and feta mint sauce (recipe for the kebobs and the feta mint sauce can be found here)

I’m regaining control of this diet thing here.

And no, I did not run today or yesterday. The end.

Hello, North Carolina!

Well, we moved. And my healthy eating habits have taken a huge hit. So has my running. We moved out of our house in VA on Sunday and into our house in NC on Monday. My last run before the move was on Friday and I finally got one in yesterday (Wednesday). It was a little less than 3.5 miles, took about 45 minutes and it was all on the road. Apparently, NC does not believe in sidewalks, because there are none whatsoever. I don’t like running in the road, its scary. Ahh.

Anyway, so my food consumption has looked like this:

Saturday Night: We had dinner with my mom at this place in Gainesville called Bungalow – I had a veggie sandwich and only ate a few of the fries

Sunday:  Mom and Bubs and I went to Red Robin where I had the Chicken Bruschetta sandwich with onion rings, then for dinner we went to an Irish Pub and I had 2 Magner’s Ciders, a roasted chicken with goat cheese salad, some crab dip, and cheesecake AND bread pudding (we shared). BAD, K!

Monday: Waffle house for breakfast (I felt disgusting eating my waffle and didn’t finish it), then pizza for dinner (I ate four slices – 2 stuffed crust cheese and 2 thin crust veggie)

Tuesday: Pizza and brownies

Wednesday: two hot dogs with chips for lunch, 4 chicken and veggie kabobs for dinner with homemade ranch potato salad for dinner

OYE….I’m not doing well. I’m so afraid to even go near the scale. My only saving grace is that I did get a run in yesterday. But still…

We went to the grocery store and got all sorts of yummy food yesterday, so I should get back on the right track now.

P.S. Did I mention my knees are killing me. Yes, plural. Again, oye. Maybe its the down time, or maybe they're just starting to crap out on me. Either way, I don't like it.

Other than my crappy eating the move has been going well so far. Things are getting in their right places and we are just steadily getting stuff together. We don't have any air conditioning today and no one can come out to fix it until tomorrow, so hopefully I don't die before then because its like 105 degrees today. ick!