1/16/2015
Friday...Today is the first day I have woken up and felt that nagging little voice in my head that tells me I am not that excited about working out today. I immediately started coming up with excuses that I thought would suffice when I explained why I was not attacking my workout with full force. I made myself a cup of coffee and I made my breakfast of a Thomas’ Bagel Thin with 1/4 cup of Light Ricotta Cheese, I sat down to start my day with entering my food consumption into my Weight Watchers and Fit bit apps and all of a sudden my apprehension about getting in a good sweat today has disappeared. Maybe it was because I saw that my Bagel Thin costs me 3 points or maybe it just took a few minutes to get my head on straight but I finally remembered that today is Yin Yoga and I get to give my new running fanny pack thing a try when I hit the trails Who knows why we all make the choices we make but I don’t want to continue to play into the self-sabotage that has gotten me off track before. I only saw a - 1 Lb. on the scale at Weight Watchers yesterday, let’s make it more this week.
Yoga was fun, I may be getting a smidge better at it or we might have done almost the exact same routine today that we did on Wednesday and therefore I was more confident in doing the poses. Guess which one of those possibilities is reality? The class was full today so of course I found myself wondering if anyone was watching my pathetic attempt at being a Yogi. Then again were supposed to have our eyes closed, so no one is really seeing me, right? Ha! Notice I said we are supposed to have our eyes closed...mine so are not closed the whole time. People totally saw me, how embarrassing, then again, how am I supposed to get better if I don’t keep trying? In the beginning of class the instructor reminded us to close our eyes, let our minds go blank. “This may be easy for you if you have been practicing for awhile or your mind may continue racing around like a drunk monkey. It is OK to take stock and process things but this is a space where it is safe not to react.” How do I not react? You said drunk monkey and that’s a damn funny image. Then I started remembering Audrey’s antics in her car seat the other day and I kept picturing her trying to be sneaky and lick her baby’s head. Seriously, how do I not laugh out loud? And if I do bust out will I get kicked out of class? I know I would be disturbing others and that is not oool! Oh, and the other thing she talked about was that they will be doing a yoga teacher training coming up. Hmmmm, that could be interesting. So I stuck around after class and asked about it. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Could you please tell me about the yoga teacher training?
Janet: Oh certainly! It’s a 3 month-long program. (She listed a number of hours but I can’t recall it at the moment.) You learn a few different styles of yoga, you get deeper into the practice of meditation, you learn about anatomy and connective tissue...
Me: It sounds amazing.
Janet: There are several members who have gone through the teacher training but have no interest in teaching, in the end it is up to you to pursue teaching but you would have the certification if wanted to begin looking for a teaching position.Have you attended any of the Vinyassa Flow or Hot Yoga classes?
Me: No.
Janet: I am teaching a Vinyassa class on Sunday. Can you come?
Me: Yes, I think so. My skill level is non-existent and my balance is terrible. Could I still take the class?
Janet: Yes, of course! You go at your own pace and if there is something you cannot do I will give you an alternative.
Me: How much does the teacher training class cost?
Janet: $3,195.00 but there is a discount...I tuned out at $3,000.00
Am I interested in learning more about the philosophies of yoga? Yes. Would I have the time to dedicate 3 months to the program? It depends...we have a San Diego trip coming up in March so that I can see my Neurologist. This appointment is not one that can be skipped. I am really interested in learning to b a Yin instructor but apparently you learn all of the disciplines. Considering that I have only been on this fitness kick for about a week I think I’ll stick with expanding my practice before I consider anything else.
I walked home from the gym, ate an apple, had some water and went down to the trails for my run/walk. I am definitely less winded when I reach the far stair case and I am making the effort to take bigger steps. At the stair case I did 50 squats, 50 modified push ups and walked the stairs twice. I ran a short distance back, and ran the upper loop one more time, total time was about 35 minutes and I got a little more running in than usual.
This afternoon I made egg muffins. They are meant to be breakfast with a side of fruit or an afternoon snack. This is not my recipe! I copied it from www.averiecooks.com. The recipe is as follows:
100-Calorie Cheese, Vegetable and Egg Muffins (gluten-free)
YIELD: 1 dozen medium muffins PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: about 18 to 20 minutes TOTAL TIME: about 45 minutes, for cooling
INGREDIENTS:
about 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (from about 4 medium peeled and trimmed carrots; do it yourself as opposed to buying bagged shredded carrots which I find to be too big, coarse, and tough due to the preservatives added)
1/2 cup small diced orange bell peppers
1/2 cup frozen peas (I didn't thaw)
1/2 cup frozen corn (I didn't thaw)
8 large eggs
salt and pepper, to taste
about 12 tablespoons shredded cheese, divided (I used Mozzarella)
***I altered the recipe a bit. I used 4 Lg. eggs and liquid egg whites (the small container) For vegetables I used what I had which was broccoli, onion, and red bell pepper. I used fat free cheddar cheese on top of the muffins, just a pinch of cheese.
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan *extremely well* with cooking spray. Spray the base of the cavities and sides, then run your finger over the sides so that every inch is liberally coated with spray or you will be chiseling off stuck food; set pan aside.
- In a large bowl add carrots, peppers, peas, corn (or mix and match with your favorite vegetables; read blog post for suggestions) and toss to combine.
- Loosely pile about 3 tablespoons of vegetable mixture to each muffin cavity, or enough so that each is filled to about 2/3 to 3/4 full; equally distribute filling mixture among cavities until gone; set pan aside.
- In a 2-cup glass measuring cup (the measuring cup makes for easy pouring), crack the eggs and lightly beat with a whisk.
- Add the salt and pepper, to taste, and whisk to combine.
- Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of egg into each cavity, equally distributing among the cavities. They will be about 3/4 full after being topped off with egg.
- Top each cup with a generous pinch of cheese, about 1 tablespoon each.
- Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are set, cooked through, and are lightly golden. They will puff in the oven, but sink upon cooling. Allow muffins to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing.
- You will likely need to rim each cavity with a small knife to help dislodge muffins. I find it easiest to rim with a knife and then 'pop' the muffin out using a small spoon. Muffins will keep airtight for up to 1 week in the fridge; reheat gently in the micro or serve cold.
I am having one with my dinner so I’ll let you know how it is! I think with my alterations to the recipe it should come in around 75 or 80 calories each. I also made a new recipe I got off of the Hungry Girl website:
Roasted Winter Vegetable Chowder
1/6th of recipe (about 1 cup): 93 calories, <0.5g fat, 511mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 7.5g sugars, 3g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2*
This chowder is so creamy, yet there's no cream in sight... Just guilt-free deliciousness!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups butternut squash cut into 1-inch chunks (about half of a medium squash)
1 cup peeled carrots cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 medium carrots)
1 cup peeled parsnip cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 large parsnip)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. chopped garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup fat-free milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Evenly distribute squash, carrots, and parsnip on the baking sheet, and sprinkle with pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Flip veggies. Bake until softened and browned, about 15 more minutes.
Meanwhile, place flour in a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup cold water, and whisk to dissolve.
Spray a large pot with nonstick spray and bring to medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion until browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Carefully add broth and flour mixture to the pot. Cook and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Transfer half of the soup to a blender. Add milk, and half of the roasted veggies. Puree until smooth.
Return pureed mixture to the pot, along with remaining roasted veggies.
Return to medium-high heat. Cook and stir until hot and well mixed, about 2 minutes.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
