On the Go Food Options

Being busy- or not home much should not ever be a reason to eat poorly. Every day more and more large chain restaurants are realizing the necessity of adding healthier selections to their menu. Below are a few of my current favorites- that help me make good decisions when I don't have time to pre-plan.
I'm going to admit something big. I KIND OF like Subway. I have always been a major Subway hater. I have called their sandwiches many names over the years- including gross, fake, and just plain nasty. And while I'm not ready to give them a gold star in sandwich making- I have decided to accept them as an occasional low cal lunch option.
Today I had a 6 inch Turkey on wheat bread, with lots of veggies- spinach, pickles, olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, AND I got cheese (40 additional cals), lite mayo (60 additional cals) and mustard. Total calories in sandwich= 370. It was filling, tasted decent, and for only $4.35- seemed like a pretty good deal.
Rubios is my all time favorite for a quick & healthy lunch. Street Tacos! Chicken or Carnitas on a corn tortilla with guacamole & chopped onions & cilantro for only 100 calories each! The Carne Asada option comes in at 120. I usually have two with a side of their great pinto beans (no lard added) for 110. Total= 310 for a great protein filled lunch. They also have a Health Mex menu including burritos & tacos for other options.
Jamba Juice has recently added some great menu items, including some California Flatbreads that fall in the 300 calorie range. They are fairly small, but good- kind of like a personal pizza. I tried the Smokehouse Chicken which was great for only 300 cals. I also really recommend their Organic Steel Cut Oatmeal for breakfast- the Blueberry & Blackberry topped version is my favorite with 290 calories.
Starbucks are pretty much on every corner. My favorite option there (food wise) is the Protein Plate. It's in the pre-package deli section and consists of: A hard boiled egg (with packets of salt & pepper) grapes, sliced apples, two slices of cheese, a mini bagel & a packet of peanut butter. I buy this one and use it as my snacks for the day and it definitely keeps me going. Total cals 380- but if you skip the peanut butter it goes under 300.
Even though it's great to see chain restaurants taking the hint and creating some healthier options- it's still always best (and lowest cal) to make your food at home. For example- my breakfast this morning. I made an egg white omelet with reduced fat cheddar cheese & chives and had it with a side of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel toast. With it I had 6 oz of Greens Juice that I talked about yesterday. Filling and delicious & a total of 185 calories! You could have ALL that or about 1/3 of a scone from Starbucks. And honestly it took me probably 5 minutes top to make. I'm now trying to remember if that 5 minutes included washing the pan or if I left that in the sink... now I will try and beat Chris home today :)
XO
Chel
Ps- Good news for yesterday- I stuck to the exact menu I blogged about & finished the day at only 1190 calories- with a big salad & stuffed pork chop for dinner! And Chris & I ran a 5k after work- we are signed up for a 10k in March so the training begins now!

After all... we ARE Professionals!

And professionals need their tools! You are looking at a picture of my FAVORITE Christmas present.  Chris had "But WHEN Do You Put The Meat In?" aprons made for me and my closest girlfriends (all loyal blog readers of course!)  They were a HUGE hit and so thoughtful. I am sure many great meals will be cooked in them!

I already tested mine out with a delicious Prime Rib dinner on Sunday night.... (pre-healthy eating obviously!) So fun!

Eating Well & Working Out...

And it feels GREAT! I went to Bootcamp last night and we ran HILLS. Which basically means we run about a mile out to a nearby neighborhood where there is a MONSTER hill (which is really more of a mountain) and then do various sprints, lunges & races up and down. It is killer. And then just when you've hit a wall and your legs are literally shaking- you get the run the mile back to camp & finish off with some nice ab exercises! I was SO exhausted afterward I could barely move but I managed to make it to Trader Joes for some major grocery shopping. For me a huge part of eating well is based on always having healthy food on hand- and our fridge was looking pretty sad & empty.
Here's what I'm eating today: (PS- preplanning REALLY helps me stay on track)
7:45am: 8 oz Essential Greens Veggie Juice. 30 calories. This magic drink manages to pack 2lbs of veggies into a 16oz drink. Warning- it tastes pretty bad- to keep the calories low they don't add apple juice or any other fruit unlike some of the other Greens juices.
8:15am: 1 Trader Joes Blueberry Frozen Waffle. 110 calories. These are so good to me- I don't need to put butter or any topping on them. If I would have had more time this morning- a really good way to eat these is by topping them with hot berries. TJs also sells a frozen berry mix that is great if you throw it in the microwave for a few minutes- it creates it's own "syrup". (The berries are also a great topping for frozen yogurt or ice cream)
9:00am: COFFEE and creamer. 30 calories. I just haven't been able to give up my creamer.. tried a few times but it's just not happening!
10:30ish: Apple Cranberry Mini Fiber Cake. 80 calories. This little muffin has only 1.5 grams of fat and 13 grams of FIBER! That's half of your daily needed intake & the great thing about fiber is it keeps you full.
1pm: Wasabi Shrimp & Avocado Sushi Rolls. 360 calories. These were sold in the pre-made section at TJs and sounded really good to me. It's fun to try something new for lunch.
3pm: Organic Apple. 80 calories. Lite String Cheese. 60 calories. For me, having a decent sized afternoon snack really helps prevent overeating or grazing the fridge/pantry as soon as I get home.
Dinner is still TBD. Total calories pre-dinner will be 750. My goal for today is 1250- so that leaves me 500 for the rest of the evening. I bought my FAVORITE Apple Almond stuffed pork chops which are somehow only 190 calories each and are amazing with a side salad. I also got a pre-chopped stir fry veggie pack which we could make with some chicken, or a Low Fat Chicken Chow Mein which is a great "comfort" meal with only 220 calories per serving. I tried really hard when I was shopping last night to not just buy random things that looked good, but to try and shop for meals (especially with dinner stuff). I think that helps prevent having a fridge full of food but "nothing to eat!".
So yes- good to be on track. I saw pictures of myself from over the break and honestly I was a little unhappy with how I looked. I feel like I have been slowly backtracking- and now I need to get back to work. Also- my sister gave me an AMAZING dress for Christmas that I am SO excited to wear in Vegas in a few weeks, but it's one of those "bandage" style dresses (and super sparkily!) so I need to get my butt in gear to make it look good!
XO
Chel
PS. Checkout www.zeer.com if you get the chance. My friend Jessica read about it in Shape magazine and I checked it out- it's AWESOME for product recommendations and substitution ideas!

Why Wait Till January?

Reasons to start your diet today:
1. It's a Monday- the most common and popular day to start a diet.
2. Christmas (and all of its cookies) have come and gone. House still full of sugar? Toss it.
3. When people tell you how great you look in mid Jan & ask if it was a New Years resolution to lose weight (and expect that you will fall off that wagon eventually) you can look them in the eye and tell them you've been eating healthy since December- totally more credible!
Convinced? If you need more reason than that- I dare you to try on your "skinny jeans" which you may have been avoiding since the holidays... and see how they are fitting. Mine are tight :( Back to work!
Let's see... for a quick recap of my holidays.
High School pseudo reunion was a BLAST! Caught up with people I hadn't seen in a LONG time. And most importantly I was able to fully enjoy myself becuase I felt comfortable in my skin. (Ok fine... that's my Oprah-esque way of saying I looked pretty good and I knew it :)
Eating wise I did OK. I'll confess to a few MAJOR indulgences: Hoovers Beef Palace for Breakfast one morning where I had the Western Sandwich and quite possibly a SIDE of bacon. A few pieces of Sees Candy, more than a few Russian Tea Cake Cookies, and lots of wine. But there were a few wins too... I ate 3 semi healthy meals a day like I had planned which I think prevented excessive snacking, I turned down a late night 4th meal at In N Out and overall I think I did better than in past years.
But now- all the holiday eating, the good, the bad & the ugly is in the past & I'm leaving it behind me. Healthy eating & working out again begins today & I'm planning on starting off 2010 with some major goals... I'm still defining them 100% and I'll share them on the 1st... but I'm thinking some big personal challenges for the year. Not all necessarily weight based but definitely designed to help me be a healthier, happier person in 2010.
XO
Chel
PS. OMG. Finally saw Julie & Julia yesterday... that may be my new FAVORITE movie! I so want to be her :)

Holiday Sugar Blues

Sorry for the lack of blogging, I know you are all deprived! :) My excuse? Well... I have been in a SLUMP. A slightly expected one with the holidays, and parties and all, but STILL. It's more a case of "if you don't have anything good (or positive or motivating) to say you shouldn't say anything at all".
Even as I'm writing this, I'm thinking about the box of chocolates that's sitting in the office kitchen. Here's the thing. It's not even good chocolate (I'm kind of a snob) but seriously this little box of crappy Rite Aid chocolate is calling my name so loudly I want to run in there and eat the entire box. I'm resisting for the moment...
And as I write this, my sister just called to tell me she made my favorite Christmas cookies (Russian tea cakes- those white little powder balls of deliciousness). What is a girl on a diet to do?? Hibernate till it's all over and miss all the fun??? Or eat and then feel really fat & guilty??
See... I warned you I'm not that motivating right now :)
Ok. Time to make a plan. And just maybe, if I write it down and tell you all I will actually stick to it.
-Bring Workout Clothes home with me. Yes I will obviously be eating and drinking while I'm home, but there will definitely be plenty of time for me to get in a workout or two. We've got a beautiful beach less than a mile from the house that I can run on... no excuses!
-Eat balanced meals. You know that feeling when you skip meals, but are constantly snacking on junk food throughout the day? Like salty, sweet, salty, sweet, etc and you end up with a stomach ache? (Please don't tell me I'm the only who does that...) Anyway- I think that by eating 3 normal "healthy" meals a day, I'll be less likely to snack out of control.
-Try to Remember Cabo is less than 2 months away! I was at Target at lunch today and tried on a few bathing suits. I was NOT happy with what I saw... and realized I have a WAYS to go before I'm ready for that trip... so when I'm tempted to eat a box of chocolate, a pile of cookies, a tray of brie & cheese... I will picture that bathing suit body and TRY to stop myself.

I'm feeling a little better. It's good to talk about it and to "fess up" to the little rut I've gotten into. If I don't blog again before the big day MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Don't let food take over the holiday. Remember, it's all about the presents! Kidding, kidding!
XO
Chel
PS. HAPPY Early Birthday to Brooke & Jules. Live & Laugh. We have a very FUN few days ahead!!!
PPS. I still have not eaten the chocolate in the kitchen. Woohooo!

I Basically Have a High School Reunion in 8 Days...

Last I checked, I was still 2 YEARS away from my 10 year reunion- which is just about the right amount of time to start getting ready :) BUT- Brooke's bday is the 23rd of December and since we're all heading home for Christmas- a party was obviously in order! Thanks to the magic of Facebook she was able to invite pretty much our entire graduating class plus some to come celebrate with us! Should be interesting...
It's funny becuase a few years ago I probably would have rushed out and bought a new outfit, got my nails done, stopped eating immediately and basically been in panic mode. I don't know if its the wisdom of my years (and the 4 major wrinkles I've recently gained- more on that another time) but I'm really more excited about catching up with old friends and hearing about their lives than panicking over being judged.
It could be becuase I'm pretty content with the way things are right now. Life is good, work is work (but I'm grateful to have a job!) and although I may struggle sometimes because I'm not at my goal weight- I'm still a heck of a lot closer than I was 6 months ago. I think being good with myself makes me a less bitchy, judgy person and more able to appreciate others. Hmm... well there's an underrated reason to get in shape-it just might make you a better person!

On another note- yesterday I did not go to bootcamp (BAD) becuase it was dark, cold, Chris had just gotten home, etc etc many more crappy excuses. But I did stay in my calories and skipped all sugar and wine (GOOD) so at least that's something. Tonight I've got a holiday party so I'm starting the day well- Go Lean Crunch for Breakfast, leftover spaghetti squash for lunch and hopefully I'll be able to fit in a walk with Ry before I head out tonight.

I had the BEST breakfast this weekend and I just keep thinking about it- so I thought I'd share.
Egg White Omelet with Garlic, Spinach & Pepperjack cheese. I actually had this at Naked Cafe- but figured it would be easy to replicate. (The mix of flavors may sound random, but I promise it's good and it gets you a serving of veggies for breakfast!)
6 tbs egg whites
1 clove finely diced garlic
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
Directions: Spray the pan with non stick cooking spray. Sautee the garlic and spinach for about 2 min over medium heat, until the garlic starts to lightly turn brown. Add in the egg whites and allow to cook for another minute while the egg firms up. Then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and fold half of the omlet in half with your spatula. Cook about 1 min on each side until cheese is melted and egg is cooked through.
Enjoy!! One omelet has 170 calories.
XO
Chel
PS. I can't believe Christmas is only 10 Days away!!! Let the countdown begin!

Oh Monday...

Another rough start to the week... this seems to be a common theme lately! Started with a power struggle with Prince Ry this morning- it's totally my fault, but when Chris is gone I let him sleep in bed with me. Could you say no to that face?? BUT then he gets confused and thinks he owns the bed. So when I found him burrowed back in bed by himself this morning after we'd already gotten up I told him (in my most authoritative voice) that he needed to get out and get back in his own bed because "Dad (packleader) is coming home today". Ry did not like that idea and started barking at me and running around the bed like it was some kind of crazy game. After I FINALLY got both of us out the door & got to work, I parked in the middle of a giant puddle and while trying to leap out of my car onto the sidewalk (with Ry in my arms) ended up falling against my car, bruising my arm and putting my foot right in the middle of the puddle. And now my wet foot and I are FREEZING in my office.

What's sad is that I'm considering the fact that I lost .2 pounds this week good news. But I can't forget that I've gained about 4 in the past 3 weeks, so REALLY I'm just barely hanging in. UGH.

My ONLY goal for this week is to be extra good in all normal situations. This week is a little crazy schedule wise- Christmas parties Tuesday & Friday nights & then the Pub Crawl Saturday and Chargers Game Sunday. SO- that leaves today, Wednesday and Thursday to have GREAT eating days. I'm planning to go to bootcamp tonight and Wednesday (Jen is coming with to try it out- so that should help guarantee that I go :) and skip all alcohol & sugar on those three days.

Sorry if I'm being a Holiday downer!! I really am so excited about all things Christmas- it's just much much harder than I thought to stay healthy & on track. But at least I'm still trying! Every workout, every cookie I put down, it ALL helps. Chris said something interesting- along the lines of "Every action is either getting you closer to your goal or further away". I try to keep that saying in my head every time I put something in my mouth or decide to workout or not. Will eating this grilled cheese make me happy or sad a week from now when I step on the scale? I don't want to be sad anymore! :)

Here's to getting through the day!
Chel

PS- I told my mom no candy or chocolate in my stocking. I simply don't have the self control - so I'd rather not have it in my face.

PPS- This was in my weekly bootcamp newsletter and I thought it was VERY true. "To weaken the intensity and reduce the frequency of cravings, you have to stop giving in to them." Food for thought. Get it? :)