I am happily feeling yesterday’s workout.  I did a quick but effective Tabata workout consisting of:

• 5 minute warm up
• Step-Ups (wearing a 20 lb weight vest) – all left leg first 2 minutes, all right leg last 2 minutes
• Incline Pushups
• Smith Squats (narrow stance)
• Lat Pulldowns
• KB Windmills

I love the effect that the windmills have on my shoulders.  It’s a total body move that utilizes a lot of core and stabilization, but the light soreness I get after doing them is mostly in my shoulders and upper back.  LOVE that move!  It’s a “new to me” exercise in the last month, so I’m starting with light weights when I do it.  Currently using just a 5 lb DB and STILL feel it!

I took a very chilly 30 minute power walk right after my workout too.

I had 1/2 of a Larabar before my workout.

I hit up Target to look for a travel iron and while I was there I had a decaf soy caffe misto.  I always forget about the misto, which is less expensive (and less caloric) than a latte.  My tall misto was 70 calories and $2.20 or so.  It’s basically equal parts coffee and steamed milk (or in my case, soy milk… still awaiting the arrival of almond milk at local SBUX stores).  So in Italy this concoction is called Caffe Misto while in France it’s Cafe au Lait.

I realized yesterday as I was driving away from Target how out of practice I am at snapping a pic of EVERY thing that crosses my lips, like I did when I first started logging my food on the blog.  It just doesn’t occur to me sometimes like it used to!  So I don’t have a picture of my misto to share!

I also don’t have a picture of my soup and salad lunch that I had at the Whole Foods.  I met a good friend there to grab a bit at noon and I had a kale salad with olive oil, pepitas, dried cranberries and grape tomatoes with a cup of their vegan savory quinoa soup.  It was delicious!

Dinner was completely out of character and not the cleanest…  I think my mind is already in vacation mode, because all I wanted was pizza.  And rather than make a pita pizza at home, I went out to pick up a single slice from a local pizza joint that I’d never tried called Big Bill’s NY Pizza.  Topped with eggplant and mushrooms.

I had intended to add a bunch of stuff to it when I got home, like sliced black olives, spinach, tomatoes – but I was FULL ON lazy last night.  I’m so not loving the dreary weather!  I feel like I need to eat “hibernation” foods! 

I do appreciate that I can go somewhere to purchase just a single slice.  This is all strategy on my part.  If I were to order a full pizza, I’d eat too much of it.  It’s not a food I can easily stop eating when I’m full and because I know this I find a workaround.  If I just get a slice and bring it home, that’s all there is.  (I use this strategy with desserts as well, which is why you don’t see me write much about making desserts at home.  It’s better for me to go pick up a single mini-cupcake or cookie than make a whole batch at home.)

Other than lunch, the rest of my day yesterday was pretty lacking in greens and fresh food so I’m making up for it today.

“Sunrise”  juice with carrots, broccoli stem, kale, cucumber, celery and a bit of lemon:

Then I mixed up the pulp and am attempting a raw bread in the dehydrator.  If it works out, I’ll put a recipe out here for it.

And I also have a batch of kale chips in the dehydrator.

This is kale from my garden.  And I refer to it as BABY KALE because the leaves are pretty tiny.  And it’s getting cold so fast here now that I feel like I need to keep harvesting because I think the growth might slow WAY down soon.  It’s getting into the 40s at night and right now as I type this at 9:32 AM it’s still only 52 degrees.  Record breaking heat at the beginning of the month and now I’m digging out mittens for my walks and runs.  WOW.

***

CHECK IT OUT

Now, for something fun if you like giveaways, head over to the Brooklyn Fit Chick blog where she is giving away a copy of Bethenny Frankel’s latest yoga workout DVD.  Of course I entered!  And you should too!  (Who doesn’t love to win a blog giveaway AND get a new workout to do in the process?)  I really enjoy the BFC blog, especially her “What Have We Learned This Month” posts which recap what you’ll find in magazines each month, like SELF, Prevention, More, Oxygen, etc.

Have a great day friends!  I’ll see you tomorrow for the FINAL day of our 3 weeks of cleaner eating!  I’m going to have a STRONG FINISH today and tomorrow!  How ’bout you?

– Shari B. =)

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Welcome new readers – my stats tell me there are some more of you out there, so hello there!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope we see you often!

Weekend Rewind

Hope you all had a great weekend!  Mine was one of the best in a while – it was full of fun activities, most notably spending Saturday evening at a local dueling piano bar drinking mojitos with my sweetie pie, just cutting loose and having fun.  It was really a GREAT time.  If you’ve never been to a dueling piano bar, find one and go!  I’ve been to three different ones over the years and they never disappoint.

I also taught an Alternative Ingredient Dessert Class Friday night and met a new group of really awesome ladies!  I had a blast and enjoyed sharing some fun ingredients with them that you might not consider typical for desserts, including greens powder, hemp seeds and chia seeds.

Photo Credit: Keri O’Connell

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

No news yet on the most recent blood draw, which was taken last Thursday.  I’m hoping to hear from the doc today, but in the meantime I did do a workout this morning.  (shhh… don’t tell on me!) Nothing too crazy.  35 minutes of Tabata/strength followed by 25 minutes of fun dance cardio.

Here’s how the Tabata went down:

• Alternating Plank / Side Plank 4 minutes
• Chair Pose with DB Rows 4 minutes
• Alternating Upright Row / Overhead Press 4 minutes
• Hamstring Curls on the Ball 4 minutes
• Curtsy Lunges 4 minutes

Then afterward I just did 2 sets of Triceps Dips, 2 sets of Biceps Curls and 2 sets of Clam Legs before getting my boogie on.

Cucumber Down!

We had our first garden casualty this weekend.  Our cucumber plant went from this:

to this:

in about a week!  Poor little cucumber plant.  We watered him – guess he just didn’t like his new home.  Maybe he was scared of the zucchini!

Gardening friends, are cucumbers finicky? This is my very first attempt at growing veggies.  Any thoughts on what I did wrong?

Summer Food

Here’s a quick article for you to check out on 6 Summer Picks for your Health.  I have never had a garlic scape, but I am now intrigued and need to track some down!

Well friends I’m off to get busy – my Monday lists are always the longest.  It’s going to be a GREAT week – I can feel it!

See you soon!

– Shari B. =)

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Happy Saturday!  It’s especially happy because I am officially on a 2 week break from school.  So last night I did the Vacation Happy Dance when I got home.

It looks a little like this:

Then I had a glass of wine and ate a Kraut Wrap with my homemade sauerkraut.

Spelt tortilla, red cabbage sauerkraut, sprouts, romaine and a drizzle of ginger vinaigrette.  Quick, easy, GONE!

This morning I got an early start on homework.  Then did a Tabata workout for my DDSD.

• Static Ball Wall Squats with Side Lateral Holds – 4 minutes
• Speedy Light Stiff-Legged Deadlifts – 4 minutes
• Surrenders – 4 minutes
• Planks and Side Planks – 4 minutes
• Calf Raises – 4 minutes (oh the burn)
• Combo Set – Eagle pose left, Eagle pose right, jump lunges, chair pose hold, repeat – 4 minutes

My right ear is still feeling achey but not as severely as yesterday.  It seems to come and go.  While I didn’t go as high intensity as I typically would, I feel good that I got in a workout.  I have an extra one to add in this weekend to make up for yesterday (unless 8 blocks of walking counts!) so I’ll keep ya posted.

In an effort to keep my immune system happy and strong while I’m fighting this weird bug, I’ve been eating lots of probiotic and healthful foods:

Probiotic pills, fermented miso, fresh fruit, kombucha tea, and fresh squeezed wheatgrass juice.

I’ve also been grating fresh ginger and steeping it in hot water with a squeeze of lemon juice and a squeeze of raw honey (this REALLY helps!).  And Thursday night I even resorted to eating 3 cloves of raw garlic smeared on some Ezekial toast.  While healthful and helpful, don’t do that if you live with other people. I slept in the guest room with my stinky breath – that no amount of tooth brushing and Listerine gargling could seem to conquer.  And I could STILL taste it the next morning. And when MSP opened the door to the guest room he said he could smell garlic.  Yikes.

After my workout I had a great chat with my mom, then ate a Christmas present from one of my classmates.  A “Satsuma” tangerine.  It was almost too pretty to eat.

Today I’ll be continuing on with my homework assignment (I’m making progress!) and when it gets dark, I might have to break down and watch one of my favorite holiday movies.  My two favorites are comedies.

I adore “Elf” – here’s a fun clip reel someone put together on YouTube:

“Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase – it’s not Christmas for me until I watch this movie (every year!).  I can’t believe it came out 21 years ago!

I also love “Bad Santa”, “A Christmas Story” and “Four Christmases”.  Yet I’ve never seen “Miracle on 34th Street”.  And I’ve never watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” all the way through.  Do you love holiday movies?  Funny ones or sentimental ones? What are your favorites?

Have a great weekend friends!

– Shari B. =)

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Just putting out a quick post to log my movement for the DDSD challenge.  This morning was Upper Body Tabata day.

• Warm Up
• One Arm DB Press – 4 minutes (doing arm at a time on this one, especially on a fitball, works your balance and core really well in addition to your chest muscles)
• Tubing Chest Flyes – 4 minutes
• Behind the Head Lat Pulldowns – 4 minutes
• Bent Over DB Rows – 4 minutes
• Side Lateral Raises – 4 minutes
• Triceps Kickback (bent arm + straight arm combo) – 4 minutes
• Biceps Curls – 4 minutes

I feel it already this evening!  I still love love love Tabata style training.  There’s something about focusing on one exercise for 4 solid minutes and then getting to move on that just WORKS for my brain first thing in the morning! 

I also want to give a BIG THANK YOU to you all for your comments about how our December challenge is keeping you from skipping workouts.  That’s what it’s all about!!  And I’m so thrilled to hear that it’s working for you that way!  I’m in the same boat right there with ya!

I’ll post more tomorrow about today’s happenings – instead of cooking in class we had a wonderful field trip.  More on that tomorrow.  One of the stops might make Cindy jealous… (it has to do with TEA!)

On that note, I’m off to work on program design for tomorrow’s clients and do some more homework.  Thanks for posting your movement for today – I did see the comments you guys put on the blog today!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!  Just think how proud we’ll all be at the end of December!

– Shari B. =)

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I have a little confession to make.  I’ve been struggling here and there to get my workouts in.  When my mind gets “busy” like it has been during the past few weeks (months?), it affects my sleep sometimes, and then feeling tired affects my motivation, and so on and so on.

BUT… I also know that ENERGY CREATES ENERGY.  If I were my own client, I’d be telling me: “Get moving to keep moving.”

So I’m going to CHALLENGE myself and all of you to DO SOMETHING DAILY this month to move your body.  (Yes Cindy, I said “challenge”!)

I know, we’ll all be super busy with the holidays.  Yes, I’ll be busy with school stuff, especially in the next few weeks.  But I am putting my foot down NOW on my excuses.

How ’bout you? Are you with me?

Have you been in a rut or feeling a lack of accountability?  You can be accountable to me by posting a comment here each day with your activity.

I’ll keep you updated on what I’m doing – and I would LOVE to hear from each of you what YOU’RE doing too!  It doesn’t matter if it’s simply a walk with your family or pets, a bike ride or ice skating.  Or whether it’s lifting weights, yoga or running.

The only rule is that if you are working out with high  intensity most days of the week that you allow one day of active recovery each week (like walking or gentle yoga) in place of the high intensity routine.  I don’t want you to overtrain and wear down your immune system, especially around the time of year when the cold/flu bug likes to get busy.

What will you do today??

My workout today was 40 minutes of strength/cardio Tabata:

• Static Ball Squat w/ Static Shouder Side Raise
• One-Arm Alternating DB Press on Ball
• Step Ups with Medicine Ball overhead
• Seated Machine Rows
• Planks/Side Planks
• Wall Ball Squats
• Explosive Lunges (1 set)
• Overhead Tricep extension (1 set)

If you feel like doing something but are just plum out of ideas, here are some past posts to get you started:

• Circuit Routine for Upper Body and Core
• 13 Exercise Tabata Circuit
• Cardio Dance
• Call a Friend for SOCIALCIZING
• Lunges

Now I’m off to have a green smoothie, shower and do some last minute cramming for Day 2 of midterms!

Looking forward to reading your comments on what you’re doing today to get moving!

– Shari B. =)

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Lookie what I found this weekend at Whole Foods!  I’m so excited!

My BUBBLY -  in the brand I adore!!!  Wahooo!  And the best news is that it tastes identical to what it did before it was removed from the shelves so long ago!  Now, yes – I am still making my homebrewed version.  In fact last night I bottled yet another batch and started a new one (this new one made with CHAI tea and using a different ratio of tea/water/sugar — can’t wait to try it!).  But I still haven’t mastered that wonderfully fizzy taste that you find in Synergy or Vibranz, so it’s a great treat to have every once in a while.  So if you are a Synergy kombucha fan, hit up your local health food store and see if they have it in stock for you yet!  (And Joan, I think the change to their formula means no “floating mother” – I didn’t see any in this batch so maybe you’d like it!)

***

SITE UPDATE: If you head back over to the Indian Spiced Quinoa post, you’ll see that I’ve added a HEALTH BENEFITS feature for you (located at the bottom of the recipe).  We do that for some of our homework, so I thought you’d like to see what good things you’ll do for your body eating quinoa, dates and sweet bell peppers!

***

And on the topic of recipes, check out this morning’s post-yoga green smoothie:

Postworkout MandarinBerry Green Protein Smoothie:

• 8 oz water
• 2 clementines (“cuties”)
• 1 large handful raw organic spinach
• 1 small handful raw organic kale
• 3/4 cup frozen organic strawberries
• ~1 tbsp fresh ground flaxseed
• 1 scoop Sun Warrior raw sprouted brown rice protein*, vanilla

All ingredients go into your blender – blend until deliciously smooth!  251 calories, 19g protein (30%), 37g carbs (59%), 3g fat (11%).

Today I did yoga moves with Tabata timing, just because I was feeling like trying something crazy.  It was a fun change of pace!  Chair pose was especially challenging!  Hold your favorite yoga position for 20 seconds, getting as deep as you can, come out of it for 10 seconds, then back in for 20 seconds.  Repeat for 4 minutes straight.

Image Source

Today I used plank, warrior 2, balancing stick, chair pose and eagle pose (after a good warmup of course, like walking on a treadmill for 5-7 minutes, then a light jog for 3 minutes).

After warm-up this is 20 minutes of yoga, and it was a great way to just mix things up a bit!  I’m never bored with workouts when I use Tabata timing.  So much fun!

Have a TERRIFIC day friends!

– Shari B. =)

***

Shari Becht is a Fit Living Coach & ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy living into their busy lives. She has decided to take her love of nutrition one step further as a student in the Natural Chef Culinary Program at Bauman College and will graduate in Spring 2011.  If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to fit more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

*affiliate link to my OpenSky store – I do receive commission on products purchased through this link.

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It’s FRIDAY-EVE!  Wahoo!  This week has been a whirlwind!  (When isn’t it, right?)  I had one of those nights last night where I kept dreaming that I was going to oversleep and miss my first morning client appointment.  So of course I was waking up every hour thinking I’d overslept – with a big rush of adrenaline to boot!  Fortunately my eyelids are cooperating so far today – no napping mishaps.  I think it will be an early night for me.

Workouts this week have been awesome.  Monday morning I decided to let Cathe Friedrich give me a great burn in her “Legs & Glutes” workout video.  That thing is SO old and yet it is always a killer workout.  Love to mix this DVD in every once in a while.  What I really like about her workouts is she combines heavier weight lifting with bodyweight work.  She’s very good about showing you how you can get an incredibly intense workout without needing to touch a dumbbell.  That’s something I really try to impress upon my clients.  YOU DO NOT NEED A GYM MEMBERSHIP TO GET A GYM BODY!  Then, yesterday MSP and I did a killer Tabata upper body workout (plank holds, side plank holds, rows, side raises, biceps curls, triceps dips).  And today we are both “ouching” about our tender arms!  This morning’s cardio was a visit to my favorite hilly trail for 4 miles of fun (this time in the daylight!)

Besides school, here are some of the things keeping my busy this week:

Random Pantry Organizing

Before

After

I’ve had “Pantry and Refrigerator” anxiety since starting school.  The stuff there is all labeled beautifully and so incredibly organized that I started to get a complex about how my cabinets are the exact opposite!  So slowly I’m working on getting them in better shape.  I also did a little fridge work as well.

Getting Spices Filled & Labeled

Bottling More Kombucha

I can’t bring myself to touch the scoby with my bare fingers yet!

Feeding my Brain for School

Green smoothie, with a Rascal eyeing it from afar!

Mocha Protein Shake … mmmmm!

Practicing My Roasting Skills

This picture was taken just as I put it in the oven, because it’s roasting as I type this post.  I’ll let you know how it turns out next time, after MSP has it for dinner tonight.  I honestly can’t recall that I have ever roasted a whole chicken – in my entire life.  (Sad, isn’t it?)  I made a whole turkey ONCE for Thanksgiving (epic fail!) back in my early 20s and since then I think I have always purchased just the pieces of poultry, rather than the whole birds.  But – I know this is something I’ll need to perfect for all of my future personal chef meat-eating clients!  I obviously chose the best organic brand I could find available at our local Sprouts (there was only ONE organic option) and it was more than double the cost of the non-organic ones sitting next to it.  However, if we want to have more options for QUALITY food (and hopefully at reasonable prices) we have to create the demand for the good stuff by leaving the bad stuff at the store!

I think MSP will be pleasantly surprised to have a whole roast chicken for dinner (rather than a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken I usually bring home for him).

I’m just looking forward to getting the bones when he’s done so that I can make some homemade chicken stock!  With the cost of this bird, not a bit will be wasted.  I even cooked up the chicken liver to give to the dogs as a small treat.

Any big plans for the weekend, friends? I’ll be doing a lot of school reading and getting started on my next homework project.  Plus I REALLY want to get in a good run in my Five Finger shoes!  Snow will be here before we know it and then my Vibrams will be reserved for treadmill use only until next spring!

– Shari B. =)

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Oh boy am I sore today from Saturday’s leg workout.  After having been sporadically following the Insanity program over the last month, I have used my legs more for sports drill workouts and apparently they forgot what it was like to do a solid strength session!

THE WORKOUT:

Tabata Sets:

• Smith Machine Squats (8 sets, 4 minutes)
• Leg Extensions  (8 sets, 4 minutes)
• Leg Curls (8 sets, 4 minutes)
• Plyo Lunges (6 sets, 4 minutes)

Followed by:

• High Step Ups (2 sets per leg)
• Front Curtsy Squats (2 sets per leg)
• 11 minutes of ‘dance cardio‘

And all I’ve been saying for the last 36 hours is “oh my legs, my legs!!!”  My hamstrings are so sore, that it is almost painful to stand up completely straight!  Yes, I like to be sore after a good workout.  But I’ll admit this is a step beyond that.  So I figured this would be a great time to share with you the tips I employ when DOMS sets in (DOMS: delayed onset muscle soreness).

1. Move the sore muscles:  blood flow to the muscles will help to speed the repair and move the toxins out faster.  By “move” the muscles, I don’t mean you should strength train those muscles again while they are sore but getting in some light to moderate aerobic activity will do the trick.

2. Light massage of the sore muscles: keyword here is light.  This is not the time to get a deep tissue massage – my massage therapist says at least 24 hours before a deep massage after a tough workout or you risk releasing toxins too quickly.  So I will lightly rub sore muscles by hand, or else I’ll do some easy foam rolling.

3. Light stretching of the sore muscles: again the keyword here is light. You don’t want to cause additional microtears to muscles that are already in the process of repairing.  The idea here is to just get some blood flow in there and keep them from stiffening up.

4. Ice up: I like to use frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel applied to the sore muscles for 10 to 20 minutes every few hours.  This also expedites blood flow to the area.

5. Soak: After (or between) ice applications, take this opportunity to pamper yourself with a hot bath with Epsom salts.  (I usually toss in 1/2 cup.)

6. Ginger root capsules: I got this great tip from Joan, who knows I won’t take ibuprofen.  She introduced me to ginger root capsules to fight inflammation when I had a stiff back and the stuff works!  It doesn’t have the ‘immediate’ relief you get from OTC drugs, but you don’t get the toxic liver either!  And I have noticed a difference when I take two in the morning and two in the evening.

7.  BioFreeze: I’ll use this as a last resort (because I aim to minimize products that contain paraben) but this stuff works wonders when I do choose to use it.  It’s like an extra strength IcyHot.  A chiropractor recommended this to me years ago and I’ve kept a bottle around ever since.  I’ve used it on sore joints, aching muscles, and it also clears the sinuses right out for you!

8. Water: the lactic acid and toxins need to go somewhere and if you aren’t hydrating they won’t move anywhere very quickly.  Be sure to increase your water intake (especially when muscles are sore) and minimize dehydrating beverages like coffee and soda.

9. REST: when you work out hard, rest is extremely important in order to allow the body to repair, adapt and grow stronger so that the next time you do that same workout, it won’t seem as hard and you can do a little more.

What favorite tips do you utilize? Drop a comment!

– Shari B. =)

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Ahhh I feel so relaxed at the moment.  I just got done with an hour-long yoga session and let me tell you … I have MISSED yoga.  (Gosh, a year ago I don’t think those words would have ever crossed my lips.)  I haven’t had a yoga sesh since before we left on vacation because when we got back we started into the Insanity routine (that I was lucky enough to borrow from a friend).  It’s definitely fun and different, and I sweat more doing this than I do in 100-degree Bikram studio.  However, 2 weeks in and I’m already a little bored.  Although you are changing DVDs daily, there is so much of each day’s routine that is just like the previous day, and the day before that, and the day before that, so all of a sudden I find myself not looking forward to the workouts.

So like everything else in my ‘fitness’ life, it will be mixed in when I need a good sweaty cardio/plyo routine or want to change things up. But it will no longer be a 6-day Insanity week.

This is one of the biggest reasons I think personal trainers can be a HUGE benefit (OK yes being a trainer, you may think I’m a bit biased ) Because most of them will listen to your likes and dislikes.  I strive to find out what my clients really enjoy and incorporate it.  If you tell your trainer there are certain exercises you REALLY don’t like to do, they should adjust the program.  Because otherwise you may start to DREAD the session.  And that’s the fastest way to see your client list dropping like the stock market of 5-6-10!

This is also why you see on the blog that I’m always reading new fitness/nutrition books and trying new DVD workout programs.  Gotta keep it fresh for both MY workouts and my CLIENTS’ workouts!  I don’t like to be bored with exercise.  And I never give clients an exercise that I haven’t done myself so I am always trying my programs first, as I design them.  I want to know how much weight feels right, how sore it might make me afterward, if anything feels “off’ about a new movement.

One thing that I find myself NOT bored with still, after all this time is TABATA!!!  So quick, so intense, and then it’s done.  LOVE THAT!  Monday I did the following routine using my Tabata timer:

• Straight-Arm Planks
• Seated Row
• Overhead Shoulder Presses (standing on one leg for increased balance work, alternate legs each set)
• Tricep Kickback + Straight Arm Tricep Pulses
• DB Bicep Curls
• Boat Pose for Abs

I felt it for the 2 days following.  I really don’t think I will ever get bored with this style of training. It speaks to my short attention span.

On the food front, beets have also been speaking to me this week.  I roasted three of them on Sunday and have been adding them to a lot of my salads.  If you missed it, I talked about my salmon, beet and goat cheese salad earlier in the week.  This time I made a “deconstructed” salad with beets along one side, sauteed kale and a bit of herbed goat cheese in the middle and sliced pears on the other.  This was another flavor winner.  The sweetness of the pear and beets meshed perfectly with the lightly salted kale and goat cheese.

Beets are an amazing veggie health-wise.  Beets are very high in folate, manganese, potassium and rich in compounds that are found to help reduce inflammation, fight heart disease, and colon cancer.  While higher in natural sugars than other vegetables, they are still only 74 calories per cup, plus very high in fiber.

During a kitchen session with a client this week, she asked if I put beets in my smoothies.  I haven’t tried that yet.  But I’m considering it.  So I’ll keep you posted. 

Drop a comment on any one of the topics above!  Got any favorite ways to eat BEETS? Have you had a personal trainer that made you do exercises you hated?  Any workouts that you’ve been CRAVING lately, but just haven’t gotten to?

Have a TERRIFIC Thursday friends!

– Shari B. =)

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I am SO tickled that you are enjoying the Marathon Monday posts.  I can’t THANK YOU all enough for that.  When it’s icky outside or I’m facing a long run, you have no idea how much it helps to know that YOU are right there with me!  Because I pay more attention when I know I get to write about it for you each time!

Oh the healthy eats I have to share with you today… makes me hungry just thinking about it!  But FEATS first then EATS, since I owe you some recaps.  Otherwise you might start thinking that all I do is EAT and only exercise on the weekends. 

Sunday we had even SNOWIER weather than we’d had for the Saturday run.  So MSP and I bundled up in our snow gear and took off for a little ‘snow hike’ on the hills around our house.  The view out the window:

Ultimately we only ended up with 3.75 miles, but it seemed so much longer trudging around in the snow.  We had such a good time.  It was so peaceful – no one was out.  The perfect start to our Sunday.

For Monday’s exercise I did more weight training Tabata-style.

• 5 min warmup on TM
• Squats with Overhead Press 4 minutes
• Chest Flyes with tubing 4 minutes
• Rear Lunge off Low Step PLUS Bicep Curls 4 minutes (alternating legs each set)
• 45° Upright Row 2 minutes
• 2-Arm Bent DB Row 2 minutes
• Glute Bridges on Ball 4 minutes  (Can you say OUCHIE??)
• Triceps Pressdown 4 minutes
• Ball Crunches 4 minutes

I am crazy about my Tabata timer (the one I use is an app on my iPhone).  I LOVE working out this way. I’m NEVER bored and it ALWAYS burns!

Now about those EATS!

A tasty snack on Sunday:  baked kale chips with a small side of Buffalo chips and a few slivers of raw goat cheddar.

Sunday night snack (because I was itching to try this Artisana Coconut Butter).  Ezekial Cinnamon Raisin Toast + Coconut Butter = DREAMY.

Monday morning after my workout I had my daily green smoothie!  Mmm I love when I have avocado and pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for my smoothies – they end up SO creamy.

A mid-morning Larabar while at my desk – the awesome “Chocolate Coconut Chew” that to me tastes like a brownie with nuts in it.

Now let me just preface my lunch a bit here.  When it is cold out for days, like it has been, I find it a bit of a challenge to want to eat my usual humongous salads because COLD GREENS are refreshing and when I’m chilly ‘refreshing’ is not on the top of my list. All I want is something warm (and often full of carbs.)  Here’s what I’ve been doing lately that has really helped keep  my salad intake up. I’m topping my salads with ROASTED VEGGIES.  I took the time Sunday to pre-roast some stuff I could use during the week (kale, mixed veggies, squash) and have available to take to work.

I packed a large spinach salad in one container topped with sundried tomatoes, a few kalamata olives, nutritional yeast, dulse and balsamic vinegar with a teaspoon of olive oil for dressing.  In another container were my roasted veggies:  red pepper, zucchini and mushrooms with balsamic.  I reheated the roasted veggies and plated them next to my salad.  After I took the picture, I mixed them all up.  And it was LIP-SMACKIN’ GOOD.  The HOT veggies + the COLD spinach makes a really delicious meal.

It looks a bit small in the picture, but this was one HUGE dinner plate.

For my mid-afternoon snack I had half of a “Go Raw” pumpkin seed bar.  This was my first try with this brand and I LOVE it.  I’ll be getting this one again for sure!  I’ve already been looking for them online to order in bulk.

Dinner wanted in on the fun veggie action too.  Another find while at Sprouts:  Golden Flax “roll-ups”, made with flax flour and soy flour.  It seems to be a cross between a flatbread and a tortilla.

So I made this with it:

Lightly ‘grilled’ in a pan to give it a panini feel.  Inside was Tofutti (non-dairy cream ‘cheese’ spread), avocado, tomato, clover sprouts and a bit of romaine.  The rest of the romaine went into my side salad.  Then I poured a little Annie’s Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette on the side as a ‘dipping sauce’ for the wrap.

It was really a finger-lickin’ good kind of day.  Mondays can be rough, but not when I have tasty (not to mention ultra-healthy) meals like these to look forward to!

Wow writing this post made me hungry.  I think I need a snack! Do you mix your hot and cold veggies?  Any favorite combos to share?

Have a terrific day!

– Shari B. =)

Related FitFeat Posts to Check Out:

• 13 Exercises for Friday the 13th
• The 10 Commandments of FitFeat
• Green Smoothie Grinch