Healthy Living Check-In *Week of Oct 3rd*

KarenBeth714

 
Hey everyone - sorry for the late check in! I had a busy weekend at a health spa with my mom and celebrating the Jewish new year today! Wishing anyone out there are who celebrates a sweet new year. Hope you all had a healthy week!
  

"Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health."   Dalai Lama

1. How are you feeling this week? Do you have any accomplishments to share?

2. What are your fitness goals for this week?

3. What are your nutrition goals for this week?

4. What are your favorite healthy fall recipes? Please share!!

rainbowturtles

1. How are you feeling this week? Do you have any accomplishments to share? I haven't been able to do much since my little surgery thing and then back injury but I'm doing my best to get back into it. Today I went for a 2.4mi walk and did some strength exercises. I've been playing around with apps that link to the iPhone Health app.

2. What are your fitness goals for this week? 
I plan on attending an aquafit class tomorrow....with how my joints are right now, water is really my best friend. If I like it I hope to go to at least one other this week. I plan to do at least one of the short workouts from the Zova app each day and hopefully at least one more walk.

3. What are your nutrition goals for this week? 
Definitely going to try to eat better...DH and I had a junk food day while he was home and then I got pizza yesterday oops! I am making curry later.

4. What are your favorite healthy fall recipes? Please share!! 
I just love curries...all kinds. Also a big fan of soups and stews!

SoonToBeMommaHowe

Hello ladies! I'm actually writing this update from the gym! #fitnesswin

1)Ever since my last month of work I've tracked my steps per day average for the month (just on my phone not with a Fitbit so not totally accurate) to try to keep myself moving. I spent a lot of time commuting and sitting at my desk so I just felt like a blob. Anyway my last month of work I only averaged around 5,500 steps a day (eek) but this past month my average was up to 8,700! Much improved! I don't pick up many steps at the gym because I'm more of a lifter than a cardio girl. 

2)My goal is to push myself until I break a sweat, which is extremely tough for me, at least twice this week. I did it last night and my legs were so sore this morning even walking was painful!

3)I bought my Halloween candy this week and after I made my grab bags I indulged on the leftovers. Need to drastically cut down on my sugar intake for the remainder of the week.

4)I make a turkey burger chili that I don't know if I'd classify as overly healthy but it is delicious and not really UNhealthy. DH and I also do a lot of roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts as a side dish in the fall, veggies roasted are the yummiest!

sparrowmomma24

1. How are you feeling this week? Do you have any accomplishments to share?
I'm feeling excited since we just started TTC after my loss 3 years ago.  I will say that my biggest accomplishment is that when I was weighed at the dr's office yesterday, I've taken off 4lbs.  It's not a huge loss, but it's something! 

2. What are your fitness goals for this week? 
My goals are:
(a) up my water intake to 150oz per day
(b) get back to the gym/exercise at least 3 days this week
(c) make healthier eating choices
(d) lose 7.5% of my weight (that means I need to get down to 212lbs.  I'm 226lbs as of yesterday)

3. What are your nutrition goals for this week? 
(a) decrease my processed sugar intake (cutting back on sweets and pastas/breads)
(b) More greens and veggies!
(c) less coffee

4. What are your favorite healthy fall recipes? Please share!!
My favorite fall recipe is probably my twice baked butternut squash. 
Recipe:
1 large butternut squash (or 2 small ones)
2lbs breakfast sausage (I use 1 sage and 1 maple)
4 granny smith apples; peeled and diced
cinnamon to taste
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 stick of butter

Cut squash in half and remove seeds/pulp.  Poke holes in it.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  
Place face up in a casserole pan and cover with foil. 
Bake at 375 for 45 minute - 1 hour. Make sure when you take it out it's super soft and easy to scoop out. 

While it's baking, fry up your sausage.  Drain then add the chopped apples and saute until slightly softened.  

When squash is done, scoop out the squash trying to leave the skins intact (although if they break, just put the "stuff" into a casserole pan and bake the same).  Mix squash, sausage and apples in a bowl with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to taste (I usually shake my container a few times until it's fragrant and call it good). 
Then put back in the skins (or a casserole dish) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  
Remove from oven and eat!  

KarenBeth714

 @sparrowmomma24 That recipe sounds amazing! I think I want to make it when my friends come for dinner next week. Great idea!

@rainbowturtles I love curries too- sharing a recipe below
@SoonToBeMommaHowe I hear ya on breaking a sweat! Thats a goal I have too.. I wimp out a lot when I work out alone

"Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health."   Dalai Lama

1. How are you feeling this week? Do you have any accomplishments to share? I feel good - went to a health spa retreat this weekend- did pilates reformer, water aerobics, and tried a body bar class. I also went on a hike- it was a totally active weekend and I want to keep the momentum going!

2. What are your fitness goals for this week?  Spin tonight and hiking this weekend.. I'm going away to upstate new york and so we will be hopefully hiking both sat and sun! and enjoying the foliage

3. What are your nutrition goals for this week? I'm so proud of myself. I made all my lunches and breakfasts for the (short) week even though I got home late last night and was tired. The meal prep is essential and I wont succeed otherwise. Chopped up veggies and fruits for the week in to go containers.

4. What are your favorite healthy fall recipes? Please share!!
Roasted sweet potatoes topped with black beans, corn and salsa ( cheese if you want)
Curried Red Lentil Soup ( add sp@SoonToBeMommaHowe
https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19138/curried+red+lentil+soup

sparrowmomma24

@KarenBeth714  its a fantastic recipe.  It's almost like having breakfast for dinner.  And you cut completely omit the butter and brown sugar if you want it to be healthier.  I add them because I like the flavors and the butter makes it creamier. 

It was my favorite recipe when doing Whole30 this summer.  I used turkey sausage and cut the butter/brown sugar.   Adding applesauce might make it creamier and add to the sweetness as well. Just a though. 

I like the idea of the sweet potatoes with black beans/corn/salsa etc.  I'm just scared to try it.  I've always eaten my sweet potatoes with sweet things, so it's outside of my norm!

rainbowturtles

@KarenBeth714 I also "prepared" some veg for the week lol Well, I bought some pre-cut veg cuz I'm lazy (actually been having bad pain issues) and put them in a Tupperware container, added radishes. DH is a major chip fiend, which turns me into a chip monster. But if there's veg prepared I likely WILL snack on them instead. And I'm allowing myself some ranch dressing with the veg. Still better than tons of chips lol I've also been snacking on sunflower seeds (in the shell) a LOT!

I went to the aquafit class today and it was pretty decent (aside from being the youngest but that's typical at a leisure centre so I don't really care...an older lady and I were singing along to some of the songs  and it was kind of awesome) ! I think it's what my body needs right now. My back and hips are hurting a lot right now but felt pretty good in the water.

Mack2342

1. How are you feeling this week? Do you have any accomplishments to share? I feel ok this week.  I've been a downer on myself.   I gained 70 lbs with my first pregnancy and have lost 50 of that.  I was doing pretty good with a loss of 1 lb a week but since MC I can't seem to get back on track so that is my plan.

2. What are your fitness goals for this week? I teach aerobics but have runners knee right know so my goal is teach my class low impact or do a strength class only until my knee heals.   It's a total bummer....but glad I have some options to keep moving.  

3. What are your nutrition goals for this week? Keep track of my calories 

4. What are your favorite healthy fall recipes? Please share!! Chili is my favorite fall recipe....well I love it anytime! 

1 lb of ground beef
onion
chili powder
large can of chili beans
can of diced tomatoes 
can of tomato sauce
green chilies (optional)
jalapenos (optional)

brown ground beef beef with some diced onion add 2 to 3 tsp of chili powder (I just dump powder in).  Add chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and a can of water.  Add green chilies and jalapeños if desired.  Simmer until hot. Great paired with cream cheese and crackers 

NewMommyCoop

1. How are you feeling this week? Do you have any accomplishments to share? I have been so tired! I have not met my fitness goals. I do my core workout Sundays and Tuesdays, but cannot seem to get up early enough Thursday or Friday morning.

2. What are your fitness goals for this week? I really need to get in my third day of workout. I prepped a crockpot meal last night for dinner tonight, so I plan to workout as soon as I get home tonight. We picked up my recumbent bike from my parents, so I plan to start adding cardio to my core exercises.

3. What are your nutrition goals for this week? Drink more water. I am terrible with water intake. If I could drink iced coffee and wine all the time I would be a happy camper

4. What are your favorite healthy fall recipes? Please share!!
I love this recipe, but I do alter it:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-tortilla-soup-recipe.html

DH does not like black beans in his, so I omit the black beans and add two or three medium sized diced red potatoes. (Baking potatoes work well, but tend to get a bit mushy with reheated leftovers.)

Also, I like really moist, tender chicken, so instead of using chicken breasts, I use a store bought rotisserie chicken and just pull all the breast meat off for the soup. I don't use the tortillas either.

NewMommyCoop

If you like Pho, this recipe (I alter it a lot) is really good.

https://beardandbonnet.com/easy-30-minute-pho/

I am not a vegan, so I use half beef and half chicken broth, or really whatever I have on hand. If you use broth, omit the water.

I also use thinly sliced beef (shabu shabu - from an Asian grocery store) but I am sure tofu would be delicious too. You don't have to cook the shabu shabu, just add it right before serving. The beef is so thin that it cooks in the hot soup. (Same as when you order it from a Vietnamese restaurant).

I hate fennel, so I omitted that as well. The nice thing is that you can really use any vegetables that you like.

TScalei

1.) I have been fighting a cold this week so I have not been working out and eating a lot of chicken noodle soup and ice cream.

2.) Try to make it a barre at least a few times before the end of the week - might do a double class today if I am up to it. Hopefully can get out and hike this weekend as well.

3.) Stop eating crap, eat more veggies and drink more water. Also just need to be more consistent whether Im not feeling well, feeling down, feeling happy etc.

4.) I love this turkey veggie chili recipe. Its great way to get some veggies and its feeling and delicious!

https://ifoodreal.com/high-protein-crockpot-turkey-chili-recipe/

TScalei

Loving all of these recipes!

@sparrowmomma24 - congrats on losing 4 pounds - that is awesome!
@karenbeth714- how was the pilates reformer - i have always wanted to try that but have been a bit intimidated.
@rainbowturtles - glad you are feeling better after the aquafit class. That sounds like fun and perfect for any aches & pains.

rainbowturtles

@NewMommyCoop I loooooove phö mmmmmm!

NewMommyCoop

@rainbowturtles - Me too! It is a regular dinner spot for us, but so easy to just make at home. It really took no time at all to throw together.

I printed a bunch of fall healthy recipes today and plan to try them out over the next couple of weeks. I will post the "make again" worthy recipes if anyone is interested.

RiverSong15

1. I'm feeling "meh" about the week. I've had too many sweets, but I've resisted the pastry case the last two days at Starbucks when the munchies hit, so I'll call that a win.

2. No real fitness goals this week, unfortunately. Maybe order a yoga DVD for home?

3. Eat more of what we cook at home. We just signed up for Blue Apron and are loving it so far. Their meals are all 600-800 calories, so we can easily stretch 3 meals to 6 for the week and stay within our calorie goals. And 5/6 of the meals we've tried so far have been delicious and easy to make.

4. @TScalei I just made chili last week. Chocolate Chipotle Turkey chili! It's not overly sweet (think a hint of mole flavor), but it was fantastic. And I actually made this in the slow cooker to make it even easier. I just set it to low for 8 hours overnight and got a week's worth of lunches!

https://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/chili-with-chipotle-chocolate

@NewMommyCoop and @rainbowturtles... Love Pho! We have a great Pho place next door to my office... Dangerous for my lunch plans.

I'm loving all the soup and fall-themed recipes!

rainbowturtles

@RiverSong15 The yoga studio app is awesome if you don't mind using your phone or a tablet to do your yoga (ie. might be best if you have SOME yoga experience so you don't have to look at it all the time but you can also review the poses before you start the session). It has so many options, different time lengths, difficulty levels, and focuses (ex. Strength, flexibility, balance, relaxation). I like variety, so I'm a fan

TScalei

@riversong15 - Oh my goodness that chili recipe sounds awesome - might have to make it this weekend. Love chili in the crockpot - makes the house smell so nice and then you have leftovers for days!

NewMommyCoop

This recipe turned out great. The turkey was sooooo juicy and tender. I served it with a boxed quinoa and sauteed sliced sweet yellow onion, red bell pepper, and speared zucchini with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. The veggies were delicious too!
 

NewMommyCoop

I should add that I used at least a half of cup of broth in the beginning and did not do step 2. at all. It turned out great without the added flour.

RiverSong15

@TScalei I love my slow cooker. I splurged a few years ago and bought a nice one that has a "brown/sauté" feature. It's great for all those recipes that call for browning meat or sautéing veggies first, because then you don't have to use a second pan on the stove. What's your favorite slow cooker recipe?

migdala

1. I feel like an emotional wreck this week, but I found out I passed the CO bar ... which I had to take 3 days after my D&C. It was a nightmare. I was sure I'd failed, even though I passed NY 3 years ago.  I was such a disaster during the test, I kept going to the bathroom to cry.  I'm amazed I passed.

2. I need to start exercising again. I haven't been back to barre since the day I went maxi pad-less because I thought the bleeding had stopped, and then ended up bleeding a LOT, in the middle of class, all over my leggings.

3. I need to stop eating so much at night. I've been too much of a pothead lately in an attempt to numb the emotional pain and keep myself from crying every single night, and as a result I keep sitting on the couch and snacking all the way until bedtime.

4. I love spaghetti squash with turkey sausage bolognese! But I make my husband do the squash because if it were up to me I'd split it open by dropping it off our balcony.  Those things are infuriating to cut.

TScalei

Wow that crockpot sounds really nice_ I will have to look into that as we could probably use a new one soon since our's gets used so much.

I love this one for chicken tikka masala

https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/chicken-tikka-masala-crockpot/

and this one for potato soup

https://simplymadewithlove.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-crockpot-potato-soup.html?m=1

TScalei

Oh my goodness @migdala - I can't believe you took the bar 3 days after your d&c - what a week. Congrats on passing though - that is great!