Eat Well While Eating Well

Tonight’s dinner has only convinced me that I need to do this challenge more regularly. It must be Asian week because I made this Thai Curry Stir Fry and it is just so delicious. The sweet coconut milk, the fresh, crisp vegetables and the savory flavors with a little bit of heat is just so comforting on a cold day like today. Totally soul-nourishing.

It just goes to prove that you can have all the flavor and deliciousness and none of the junk at the same time. If you plan on making this recipe, heads up, the liquid doesn’t reduce very much in the time specified but that’s okay because the broth is SO yummy. I drink it up at the end of my bowl and it is mouth-wateringly good. Also, I couldn’t find snow peas so I got sugar snap peas instead and they worked great. Maybe even better! So far these Advanced Plan dinners are treating me well.

In other news, I had my usual scrambled eggs for breakfast and a salad with pea shoots, power greens, avocado, pink salt, lime infused olive oil and a splash of balsamic. I snacked on some baked broad beans and I got my third workout in for the week! 12 minutes of quick feet, speed jumping jacks, high knees and mountain climbers. I forgot to mention that I did Tuesday’s workout which was squats, quick feet, high knees and 1-minute planks. I’m really trying to forge a habit of working out during Harvey’s morning nap. It’s hard because I’m always tempted to sit down and just drink some coffee, get on Facebook or do the dishes but I know those things can wait and I don’t have long before he wakes. So far that motivation is keeping me going. That and my wonderful Wunderlist app that I’ve got “Surge” on repeat for Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. If it’s on my list, it will nag at me if I don’t check it off! Ya gotta do what works!

What about you? Did you discover any yummy recipes this week? What tricks do you use to keep yourself on track?

 

Day 1: Ready, Set, Go!

Well, it’s Monday! How are you feeling about the challenge? Excited? Determined? Unprepared? Nervous? I have to admit, I was not exactly looking forward to starting. But after thoroughly pre-toxing (what you do before you know you’re going to detox) this weekend I am ready to feel good!

I had my usual scrambled eggs this morning. Yum. And I just want to testify to the power of protein a little bit. I have a nine month old and during the first six or seven months I was eating steel cut oatmeal for breakfast because that’s what everyone says to eat to support your milk supply. But two hours after eating a hearty bowl of steel cut oatmeal I was starving again. Grains are just not nutrient dense. But eggs? Or a protein shake? That will give you a powerful dose of nutrients. When I eat two or three eggs for breakfast I’m good to go until lunch. The proof is in the results for me.

Lunch today was a smoothie for me. I tried the Green Berry Smoothie and it was okay. Not amazing but I know it was loaded with healthy nutrients and fats that I need. I would have taken a picture but it was the color of tar. Not exactly appealing.

Today I also got in a MaxT3 style workout while my son, Harvey, took his morning nap. I haven’t been able to work out in over a month due to a nasty rib/hip injury so I am excited to build some core and lower body strength back. I did 12 minutes of 20 second intervals of planks, squats, lunges, quick feet and I tried to do mountain climbers but that made my sprained muscles very sore.

With surge training its important to go as fast as you can (at least 80% of your max capacity) for those short bursts and then rest, working on controlling your breathing in between. This fluctuation is what gets those hormones working for not against you. My goal is to try to keep it up at least three days a week. I’ve scheduled my workout days this week for today, tomorrow and Thursday. Those are the days I know I’m most realistically going to do it because those days have some flexibility and shorter to-do lists. If you’re like me, the more “white space” I have, the lower my stress and the more likely I am to stick to my goals.

Happy Monday and happy Advanced-Planning!