What I ate Wednesday ... Do you do leftovers?

Another Wednesday and I'm here to share with you what I'm eating ...

I do try to eat healthy, nutritious foods most of the time ... There are those moments however when I'm not perfect or anywhere near it! I mean, who is? Well, alright some people are better than me!

Breakfast ... It's a surprise!  Oats again but I added a teaspoon of peanut butter because I saw it in the fridge and it looked good! And my coffee ...

Snacks ... Apple and peanut butter .. ooops I really must have had a thing for it today!  I had a mandarin for an afternoon snack along with some bocconcini which really should be banned in our house because I find it a bit addictive!

Lunch ... Leftover Chicken & Corn Soup.  I added a small handful of pasta too.

Leftovers! Do you do leftovers? I'm not always a fan of leftovers, I'd much rather have my meal nice and fresh. Not that I would get the chance anyway as Mr FitMum loves leftovers ... And then there's the kids ...

Whether you are into leftovers or not, they can be a great idea to save you time and money and keep you on track with your healthy eating during the week. I'm not one to prep my meals on the weekend .. To be honest I haven't quite worked out when I would do this. I know it's an organization and planning thing but I haven't got it.

Instead I often cook extra of whatever meal we are having so that there is something for lunch. Sometimes that might just be an extra chicken breast or two that I can throw into a salad or have with steamed veg the next day.

Another thing I do to save some time and keep me honest the next day is to prep extra veg. I chop them up as I do the nights dinner, that way the next day I have no excuse to have a lazy lunch. Quickly steam them and serve them with some lean protein and it's all good!

Anyway, back to my day ... I didn't make leftovers tonight ... Stir fries don't work well as left overs. We had sweet chilli and lime salmon stir fry .. Yum!  This was so filling and delicious!

For supper, I felt like a sweet treat and I had half of a Slim Secrets bar that I bought the other day for just this occasion!  To try it of course!  It was cookies & cream but I found it a bit sweet that's why I only managed half! I might go back for the other half tomorrow night!

What did you eat today?

Completely Random Post ...

I don't know about you but I follow, or try to follow quite a few blogs.  I do love reading what other people are up to and yes I do find inspiration and motivation from many people. 

I have previously followed these blogs through Google Reader but this will be shutting down so I'm trialling a new way to stay updated!  So I've registered with Bloglovin ...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Don't let me be the only one cos I have no idea what I'm doing here!

Monday Motivation .. Let's have a positive week!

How many times each day or week do you say to yourself "I can't do this .."

I can't stick to this diet ... I can't fit in time to exercise ... I'll never be able to run ...

You know those thoughts ... they come by so easily when we are tired, stressed, when things get a bit tough or we are feeling lazy. 

The more we say or think these things, the more we reinforce that negative thought.  If we keep reinforcing that thought it may come true! 

I feel and think like this from time to time, we all do, it's normal ( well, it is, isn't it? ).

Don't let your mind get the better of you! Stop those negative thoughts now!
This week I'm going to start practicing some positive affirmations to get my head in the right place and I would love for you to join me!  This week we are going to be positive!

Take some time and think of something positive about yourself or your life that you would like to remind yourself of each day .. or even several times a day.  

Here are some examples ...

"I am a runner" ... obviously you would need to run but it's a great reminder if you are having a crappy run or going through a tough training cycle.

"I live a healthy, active lifestyle"

"I am strong and healthy" / "I am fit and healthy"

"I choose to eat healthy, nutritious foods to nourish and fuel my body"

 

 

You get the idea!

So, sit down, think about what your positive affirmation for the week will be.  Write it out on some post it notes, print it out on little pieces of paper ... stick them in places you will see them ... bathroom mirror, fridge, set one up as the wallpaper on your phone!  Put them where you will see them regularly to remind you of how fabulous and successful you really are!

I would love you to share with me what your positive thought for the week will be ( only if you want to of course ) ... Share with me on Face book or comment here ... take a picture of your notes and put them on instagram.  I will do the same, in fact, those affirmations I listed above are the ones that I came up with when I sat down to think about what mine will be!  You will probably see one or two of these throughout the week!

I'll be sharing mine on Facebook ( Fit Mum's page ) and Instagram ( @fitmum ) so come and find me!  Let's support each other and have a positive week!

 

The week that was ...

I have been wanting to get back to my weekly recap posts for a while.  Maybe it has been laziness ( most probably ) or lack of time to sit ( possibly ) or even lack of writing urge ( possibly ) ... I've only managed a post here or there. 

I even think to myself sometimes that there is no one out there who is really interested in what I'm doing so why in God's name would you want to read about it here! Well, other than the spam bots who are driving my crazy at the moment with their comments.
 
Now that I've got that off my chest .. It's not that I haven't been keeping up my usual exercise throughout the week, I still exercise almost every day.  If you do read my irregular posts you will know that I have started training again for a half marathon or two this year.  

Please don't ask me why or even if I want to because there are days when I wonder these things to myself.  It's mostly when I've just woken up and am still lying in my warm bed and it's rather cold and dark outside.  Let's just say that the thought of a 10km run is not entirely appealing!

In saying that, here's what I've been up to this week ...

Monday 

This is my "easy" run day after my long run on Saturday.  So I don't think it's easy but I usually manage to get myself into a bit of a rhythm and run about 6km.  I do feel better once I've finished, even if I can't feel my fingers .. here is why.

Tuesday

 I did manage to do a sort of strength session this week.  Nothing too dramatic as I don't want to be too sore to run the rest of the week .. is that really an excuse or am I being a princess? Wait, don't answer ... 

 

Wednesday

 It was freezing again this morning but I headed off for a short 3km run.  Plan was for another 3km in the afternoon ... it was pouring rain, no running.

 

Thursday 

My willpower did not win this battle so I didn't get out of bed to run in the morning.  I did however take the kids in the afternoon and did our short 3km.  It will leave me 3km short for my overall distances this week but I'll be OK and let myself soak up the extra rest!

 

Friday

Today, no running, complete rest day while is psyche myself up to head out for my long run tomorrow morning.

Ultimately so far my week has gone to training plan and other than feeling rather exhausted this week, I think I'm still on track with my training.

How is your training going this week?  

Were you loving it or were you going through the motions? 

Are you training for a specific event?   

 

 

  

What I ate Wednesday ...

I'd love to share something exciting with you today .. maybe a new recipe that I have tried or a new food that I have been checking out ... but in the last week I really haven't had much happening on the experimental or even cooking front. 

Oh wait!  I whipped up a batch up Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Icing for my mother in law's birthday on Saturday.  I will add here that I quality tested the mixture for both the cupcakes and the icing at several times throughout the baking process and I will admit to feeling rather ill from the ingestion of sugar by the end of the day ... no really, I had to ensure the quality was high!!

Not my best effort but they tasted good!

But anyway, back to what I ate today ...

Breakfast was my usual oats with the trimmings ... I like oats, they work for me, don't judge.

I was out and about a bit today so at morning snack time I was very luxurious and stopped for coffee and banana bread with my in laws!  Banana bread is a favourite and I don't have it very often, not even when I make it at home, so this was quite the treat!

I made it home for a late lunch today and I didn't realise how hungry I was until I drove in the driveway.  Quick and easy for me!  I always keep a stash of heat 'em up soups in the cupboard for just this occasion ... the fact that it has been freezing all day made soup the perfect choice!

A cup of peppermint tea this afternoon was nice and warm in my tummy as I didn't feel like much more after a late lunch.

There's not much exciting that you can do with chicken and veg, which is what dinner consisted of tonight.  I tricked it up a bit with honey soy marinade and some sesame seeds .. so Nigella of me!   I'm afraid I was not feeling the culinary creativity today!

 

What did you have to eat today? 

I would love to see a pic of it ... head over to instagram and hashtag your pic #wiaw, #whatiatewednesday, #fitmumsfood.  That way I can get some great ideas from you!

Have you got your winter running woollies out?

It's certainly starting to feel a lot like winter here! I'm not very good in winter, especially when I have a runs planned at 6 o'clock in the morning.
It's cold, it's dark and I am starting to find it really hard to get out of bed and out the door in the mornings.

This morning was the coldest morning of the year so far. The weather report told me it was going to be 10 degrees! Now I realise that this temperature is mild for some, but for me it means I need almost the full rig when I go for a run! I do not like being cold, even if I know I will warm up on the run! I still head out of the house rugged up.

 

This mornings attire .. Full leg tights, running jacket, singlet top underneath. I also have to wear a scarf over my mouth in winter and gloves ... no, I am not a complete princess but my justifications are sound! I get exercise induce asthma in winter. This is bought on my the cold air and if I don't wear something across my mouth I spend the rest of the day coughing my lungs up. I think I should wear gloves for most of the morning at the moment, not only when I run! My fingers lose feeling and turn white when they get cold so I wear gloves when I run as it gets uncomfortable when they are so cold ... mind you, I take my gloves off when I get home and then I lose feeling while I am trying to get breakfast!

But I did not make an excuse this morning ... I crawled out of bed and out the door with my running partner who wears a warm fur coat all year round!

What is your winter training like? 

Do you bound out of bed at the same time as usual or do you delay a little bit longer until you can actually see the sun?

Do you rug up and then peel off layers as you go? Or do you just wear your usual rig?

Monday Motivation ... Have you planned your week?

Again it was another busy week and weekend in our house and by Sunday night I was struggling to keep my eyes open.
Even though it was a busy week, I managed to keep to the training plan that I had decided on at the beginning of last week ... sort of ...

My training last week looked like this ..

Monday .. easy 6km run, gauging how many niggles I picked up after my long run the Saturday before.  Other than tiredish legs not too bad!

Tuesday .. No running today as I really should do a strength session.  Tuesday is also a work day for me.  Well if you call what I do work!

Wednesday .. First up a 3km fast-ish run in the morning.  Follow this up with another 3km run with Mr 7 as he learns to ride his bike.  Of course he picked got the whole riding thing down on this run and I was doing what would safely be called interval training!  Lots of fast running to keep up with him!

Thursday .. Another slow 3km run as I had planned a yoga session .. I didn't do yoga.

Friday .. Rest day before Saturday's long run. 

Saturday .. Longest run that I have done for years.  Well, since my last half marathon anyway.  10km and I was really happy with my pace and how I pulled up after!  Yay me!

I would really have like to have included the strength training and yoga session as I know it will help my running and help strengthen my hamstring which is finally settling down.  But they are first to get dropped off when I get busy and a bit tired.  I will try harder this week.

I have planned this week's training already and at this point it looks like I should be able to stick with it!  Barring of course, unforeseen ... 

Have you planned your training this week and scheduled those appointments with yourself?  Is it a realistic plan that you can stick to, or are you being a bit ambitious?   

What I'm eating Wednesday ... I am starving!

Over the last few weeks I have been increasing my running training in the hope that I will be finishing another half marathon in a few months.
Needless to say my appetite seems to have increased with the increase in mileage! Last week I was starving! I hadn't changed my diet and even ate extra and I just couldn't seem to find anything to fill me up!

Thank goodness this week has been different and even though my mileage is the same I am not wanting to eat everything in sight!

Here's today's fare ...

A quick 3km this morning as I'm backing up again this afternoon for another short run ...

Boiled egg and 1/2 an apple ... It was a really big apple!

Turkey and salad for lunch ... Originally I was having turkey and steamed veg ... until I dropped the bowl full of veg on the floor of the kitchen ... not happy

A quick stop by mrs Flannerys on the way home from school pick up and I also picked up a special treat ... Gluten free cranberry, white Choc and pistachio slice ... It is so yummy!
I needed something that was going to stick with me as I was heading out for another run this afternoon ... this time to teach FitBoy to ride his bike. I ran beside him and of course he picked it up quickly today and took off! Tempo training this afternoon ... 6kms done today!





Forgot to take a pic of dinner ... Rib Fillet and the above is pretty boring anyway! Yep, I was a bit lazy and opened this packet!








Now I'm going to take my magnesium powder and head to bed! This Fit is a bit tired this week!

What did you eat today? Was it healthy and nutritious?



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

What I'm eating Wednesday ... Recipe .. Peanut Butter Protein Bites

I whipped a batch of these yummies yesterday. They are so quick and easy to make and they are a quick and easy choice for a snack if you are out and about!
I always like to have a "good choice" snack on hand so that I don't stick my nose in the pantry and grab something a little less than healthy .. yes, I have been known to do this when a case of the lazies strike in the afternoons! Or after dinner when the kids have gone to bed and I can sit in peace for like 5 minutes!

I have a little thing for peanut butter again at the moment. Yes, it's a little bit high in fat but I promise I only have a small amount and I make sure to buy the one that has nothing added except peanuts! This little bite gives me a little hit of peanut butter with the added bonus of other great ingredients.

Peanut Butter Protein Bites

What you need ...



1/2 cup peanut butter ( make sure it really is the good kind. No added nasties! )
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup protein powder ( I used chocolate this time .. Yum!! )
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup oats
3 tablespoons agave syrup

What you do ...

Mix all the ingredients together and form into small bite size balls.
Eat them ... But not all at once!




Grab 2 with a piece of fruit if you are on the go and know you will need a snack on the way. Or as a healthy treat after dinner if you feel you need a little extra.

Monday Motivation ...

We all have busy lives these days. Are you too busy to include healthy habits in your life? I don't just mean exercise either .. healthy habits include keeping a close eye on the balance in your diet and lifestyle.

What is one thing that you could do this week to include a healthy habit into your day that you have previously "not had time for"?

Here's some examples ...

Get up a little bit earlier in the morning to start your day with a healthy breakfast not just a quick cup of coffee ...
Keep a water bottle with you to sip on throughout the day ...
Grab a piece of fruit that you can have for morning snack rather than another coffee or biscuits ... If you have time to make another coffee and grab biscuits you will have time to eat an apple!!
Get away from your desk at work for just 10 minutes ... Move around and have a quick stretch ...




What are you going to do this week?
Do it everyday and it will be become a habit quickly and you feel much better for that healthy habit!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Coconut Oat Energy Slice ...

Are you sometimes stuck for a healthy and yummy snack? You know I have one for you!
This is a recipe that I have been making for years. I don't think I have ever made it the same more than once, except the last few times where I seem to have managed to combine the right things at the right time!

I like to have this slice on hand particularly when I'm doing a bit of running first thing in the morning. I do wake up some mornings a little hungry and couldn't imagine doing my run with my tummy grumbling! So I have a small slice before I run .. just enough to tide me over until I can have my usual breaky after my run.

If you are worried about the calorie number, then this may not be the slice for you! Whilst it is packed with healthy ingredients they do make it a high calorie snack ... albeit a good healthy snack!

Coconut Oat Energy Slice

What you need ...


1 cup oats
1 cup almond meal
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup craisins
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons pepitas
2 eggs
125g coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup agave syrup

What you do ...

Preheat oven to 150C for fan forced oven.
Line a lamington tin with baking paper.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate jug or bowl.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly.
Press into baking tray and bake in oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Once cooled slice into serving size pieces. Store in airtight container.