Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

Dinner tonight- Ahhhhmazing!

It was high protein, low fat--- best of all my über picky kid ate it!

I promised the recipe-- here it is!

Hawaiian turkey burger

1.25 lbs ground turkey

1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs or a non gluten variation of

1/4 cup pineapple juice

8 or 9 shredded baby carrots (yeah I'm hiding veggies so sue me)

Grated onion to taste ( I don't like onion so I didn't use a lot)

Garlic salt (tsp)

Ground ginger (tsp)

Put all that in a bowl and mix well! Patty them up!!!Makes 5, 1/4 pound precook weight burgers

Here's the best part- while cooking baste the burgers with a few tablespoons of teriyaki sauce. It caramelizes on the out side and keeps the burger really moist.

Also during cooking, grill up pineapple slices. I didn't have slices so I sautéed pineapple, a little teriyaki, and cinnamon in a pan.

Once burgers are cooked through plate it up!!

I ate mine with no bun- my hubby ate it with... It was so tasty and really filling! 

 

Have a great evening!!

Seriously- Structure, I'm struggling

I am really struggling.

I need to get my structure back, because I am too "type a" to function with out it, especially in regards to dieting. I have to use myfitnesspal every day--- even on cheat days because if I skip one day, I skip 10.

I need to get gym routine back. 4 days a week, no excuses- because I need the habit re-developed.

The last two days I've been very focused. I had a major issue over gluten this weekend, and realized it was going to need to be cut down if not removed completely. How terrible I felt, refocused me. I've prepped food, packed lunches, counted every calorie. I feel better.

The last 90 day challenge seemed so easy. No idea why this one is causing such a struggle.

Say a prayer for me to be strong, follow me on Instagram because I feel compelled to post meal photos when i know people are following, and if your struggling share it.

I feel better just saying out loud... Wow, this is hard, I'm struggling.

Have a fab week!!

Swimmers Log July 23rd- or- I'm no longer a 125lb 17 year old swimmer

So today I decided to really start the swimming portion of my triathlon training. I found a great pin on Pinterest with swim work outs, picked a 2300 work out and headed to the gym. I used to swim more than this on a daily basis so no big deal right?

What was I thinking? 1st off the last time I probably swam 2300 yards straight was  my senior year of HS 15 years ago. 2ndly for the last 3 years swim workouts for me were little 30 minute swims after my regular work out, and I was gonna swim triple that straight.

I'm a genius. 

The workout I picked was actually great  and had a lot of variety. At one point (early) I was thinking to myself "Heck ya I'm gonna nail this swim. " Below is the play by play of what actually happened and my thoughts

Warm up

300 Yard Free (I love swimming- I missed it so much)

100 Yard Kick (how come I'm not going anywhere, have I always kicked this slow)

Work out 

5x100 interrupted IM - which means a 15 second break between each stroke- 45 second break between 100s (1st 3- I felt like an Olympian... Last 2 my butterfly laps looked like a 6yr old was swimming)

100 kick IM order (I hate kicking, why am I doing this, no one would know if I skip it) I didn't skip it FYI 

4 x 100 alternating back and breast 100s  (at this point math starts kicking in- how far have I swam, how many more laps till

a mile and I beginning thinking how much easier running is with that whole being able to breathe with out holding you face out of the water to do it)

12x50 free sprint (4 sprints in- I wanna die- I realize I hit a mile and it took me 52 minutes. 6 sprints in I'm so tired I get water up my nose during a flip turn and veto flip turns for the rest of the swim)

100 kick ( literally the slowest kicking ever- and all breast stroke)

300- Cool down (yeah I didn't do this because I was worried I was going to drown)

So I lasted for 2000. 1.2 miles. I think all things considered I did well. It did make me realize I missed swimming. It also made me realize I'm older and pulling my body weight through water now is a hell of a lot harder than it was when I weighed 125. But I was proud of myself when I was done, which felt great.

Night all- I'm gonna take a boatload of Advil and go to bed- I have a feeling I'm gonna be hurting tomorrow. 

Surviving your coworkers

Let me start off by saying I love my job and I love my coworkers even more. But they are evil... Just kidding... kind of.

My office is literally my worst enemy as I am on this health journey. Being in my office to me feels like being an alcoholic working at a bar. We always have a fridge fully stocked with pop and gatorade, baskets full of cookies and chips, and candy jars all over the place. I am in a constant battle with myself to not pop into the kitchen and grab a snack every time I pass on my way to or from the copy room. It really does not help my mental stability to have Doritos and Oreos under my nose all day long. It also is not helpful that we constantly order out for lunch at work. Nothing is low cal that comes in a takeout box. Somehow, I fight the urges and I am staying on track. Three things are saving my diet.

1. I have to be in a bathing suit around these people in January. I picture myself in a bathing suit with Doritos stuffed under it. Not attractive right, so I don't eat them.

2. I have snacks stashed all over this office, it's a little crazy. Fridge, I have hummus, lo fat string cheese and fruit. Cabinets- I have popcorn. My desk- I keep sugar free oatmeal and sunflower seeds. My purse- walnuts. When the urge to snack hits me, I am within steps of something I can eat and feel completely okay with. It doesn't keep me from wanting the junk, but it makes it easier.

3. Eating out is the devil. I try to pack whenever I can, but some day's its impossible. You have to find a way to eat from the same places everyone else does with out screwing your diet. Take last week. It was a rough couple days. Thursday, I had an event for a regional office with a build your own burrito bar from qdoba... oh and alcohol. Are you kidding me? All of my favorites in one place. I found a way. I took a bowl of lettuce, added grilled chicken, salsa, grilled zucchini, and a tablespoon of guacamole. It was amazing tasting and I was proud of my will power. Also, tequila is considered "Paleo" but its 96 calories and no one needs an extra 96 calories- just don't do it.

Friday we had City BBQ at work. I love City BBQ. But I love the mac and cheese and brisket and baked beans, none of which I can touch. So here is what I did.

 

I took the City BBQ salad which is tomatoes, romaine, cucumbers, craisins, and shredded parm and added 4oz of smoked turkey and some apple vinaigrette dressing. It was amazing.

It's taken me several months to be comfortable in this office and not to blow my eating plan because no one else around me is eating healthy.

It's not easy, but its doable.

 

Just do it- no seriously do it

Getting my butt to the gym was a process tonight. I just didn't want to go, I don't feel well, I'm hormonal and bloated, I really wanted to veg out.

Fortunately, I have cheerleaders. I knew Sheizka would be waiting at the gym, and I never want to let her down. So I called Jodi, and asked her to tell me to stop being lazy and go to the gym. She pep talked me and sent me a motivational photo. I packed up and went.

Thank God I did! I really feel a ton better. Well I do and I don't. I can't lift my arms the whole way over my head because I lifted my butt off, but everything else is better.

So just do it. Even when you don't want to. You will always be rewarded

What's in my fridge- Sunday Prep Day

I have been fighting bronchitis again and I think my allergies are to blame... Stupid pink blooming trees. Since I am sick, I haven't been able to work out, which blows, but it also means what I eat is extra important.

Here's what is on the menu for me this week.

This is everything I bought to eat this week. You will find I buy a lot of this stuff at Costco. Our family of 3.5 (Jackson doesn't really count yet) can easily eat fruits and veggies in bulk, but if you are the only person eating it, you are blowing money if you buy it in bulk and it goes to waste. C- means Costco, W- Whole Foods, G- Giant Eagle

Veggies
Corn on the Cob- C
Organic Lettuce- W
Celery- C
Tri Color Peppers- W
Asparagus- C
Carrots- C

Fruit
Bananas- C
Apples- C
Plums- C
Kiwi-C
Pineapple- C
Lemons- C

Everything Else-
Protein Powder- for daily shakes. Watch the sugar content in any that you buy!( I like Pro Complete One V    Core in Fudge Caramel)
So delicious Sugar free Almond + Milk- W
Fresh Ground Peanut Butter- W
Low Fat Cottage Cheese- G (I used to eat light yogurt, till I realized the amount of sugar it had)
Tuna in water- G
Eggs- G
Multi Grain 100 Calorie English Muffin- G (The only "bread" I still eat- Yummy, high fiber, lo cal )
Skinny Pop Popcorn- C- OMG Have you tried this?! Amazing 39 calories per cup, all natural, 3 ingredients)
Frozen Marinated Salmon Filets- C
Shrimp Cocktail- C- Im obsessed with this right now.

Always in my fridge/pantry (but didn't need to buy this week)
Chicken Breast
Walnuts
Pistachios
Low Fat String Cheese
Hummus

My food prep this week was easy. I really just loaded up my fridge with produce, brewed some coffee so it would be cold and ready in the fridge for protein shakes and made my favorite Tuna Salad to eat this week (recipe is below)

Make it a great week!!

My Tuna Salad
2 Hard Boiled Eggs chopped
2 Cans of Tuna in water- drained (do yourself a favor, get the good stuff- not the cheapest can you can find)
1 cup chopped celery
3 Tbs Dill Relish
3 tsp Yellow Mustard
2 Tbs Hellmanns light mayo

Mix and chill for 2 hours before serving.
1/2 cup serving- 99 calories, 4g fat, 4 carbs, 11g protein

So I ate a potato...

I have promised to start posting my recipes and meals to give everyone ideas on what I am eating exactly... and I will... in a second. First, I have a confession. I ate a potato for dinner. I feel like I did something horrible, but I had reasons. Normally I don't eat carbs at all after lunch... and its rarely something as nutritionally void as a potato. But today we had a meeting at work and there were potato chips and I realized I really wanted some ruffles bad, like take the bag and hide in a room and scarf them all down, bad. I didn't- mainly because there were people near the bag who would have noticed me running out the room with them. It was so hard though. So for dinner I made two small red skin potatoes and ate them joyously. It may not have been that great for me, but it wasn't the ruffles bag full of shame.

Okay on to my meal plans. Today, aside from the potato, I feel like I ate great. I was super full all day. I had 94 g of protein, 25 grams of fiber, and only 6g of saturated fat. As of now I am at 1100 calories, but I will eat some sort of snack before bed to make it closer to 1300.

Okay so for breakfast I had a protein shake.

I love my morning protein shake!!
My recipe is
12 oz- Unsweetened Almond Milk (I use "So Delicious Almond +" because it has 5g protein)

 1 scoop protein powder (I use Pro Complete One V- Core in Fudge Caramel)
and 1 cup cold coffee (Brew it the night before, stick in the fridge)

It tastes like a frappuccinno! LOVE!

For Lunch I had a random plate of yummy stuff

On the plate is 3 oz grilled chicken (make it on Sunday, eat it all week)
Baby Carrots, Cucumbers and Raw Zucchini dipped in hummus (Sabra singles at Costco- OMG!!!)
Half a Kiwi and 1 cup of Seedless Grapes
Tasted great! Like summer on a plate.

My husband was pumped to see red meat!

I cooked the potatoes in the microwave (5 minutes wrapped in a wet paper towel) then I sprinkled rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper on them and a small squirt of olive oil from my pampered chef oil atomizer.

The zucchini was sauteed over medium heat with just two small squirts of olive oil and garlic and salt. I could have eaten 3 servings

Lastly the grass fed beef- Broiled in the oven- 6 minute per side on low then 2 minutes per side on high (they were super thick) I used Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and Lawry's seasoned salt on it while they cooked.

I had lowfat string cheese for a snack today and I will probably eat celery and all natural peanut butter as soon as I am done posting this.

Hope this gave you ideas :)
I promise to get better with posting yummy food ideas.