Inspire Me Healthy Link-up and Recipe

I have some way better news to report this week: I lost 1.6 more pounds for a total of 3 lbs lost so far :)  I also decided that I needed an easier way to keep track of what I was eating and started doing Weight Watchers informally. I did it before my wedding briefly and had some success but this time I just downloaded an app on my iPhone to help calculate points. I'm going to do it casually myself and save the fees for the online access to go toward my fall wardrobe! The app I downloaded is MyScorePlus and it's great- you have to do a little work to enter in nutrition facts but worth it in my opinion!

So next up, I wanted to share with you guys another great recipe from this week! This one was not new for us- my husband and I have made this weekly for probably the past 2 months- not exaggerating! We absolutely love it! The recipe is from the Skinny Taste website- so many great recipes with points already calculated for you!

Zesty Lime, Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 7/8 cup • Old Points: 4 pt • Points+: 5 pt

Calories: 210.4 • Fat: 9.2 g • Protein: 25.1 g • Carb: 7.8 g • Fiber: 3.6 g • Sugar: 0.6
Sodium without salt: 260.8 mg

• 1 lb jumbo cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped*
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 hass avocado, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced fine
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 limes, juice of
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion

2. In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

It's super easy and soo good and fresh tasting! This week, I plan on making her skinny mozzarella sticks and healthy baked chicken nuggets. I already made the beet and goat cheese salad this week which was good too! 

Have you guys made anything from the Skinny Taste website or have any other good Weight Watchers favorites? Hope you're all having a great and healthy week!

xo, Ann

Inspire Me Healthy Link-up and Recipe

 Linking up over at Kristen's this week!

So I have some not-so-fun news to report...no weight loss this week. I am not surprised..had a really busy week (which is not an excuse!) and only made it to the gym one time. I also didn't eat as clean as I'd like this week which I think is definitely a product of not being prepared for lunch. So, this week I'm making it a point to pack a little lunch cooler with healthy snacks and lunch food so I am not tempted to get Chipotle again....oops.

 On a brighter note, I found an awesome and clean breakfast recipe to get the day started on the right track. It's a super delicious protein pancake and couldn't be any easier to make.

Protein Pancake

245 Calories, 36 (!) grams of protein, 21 carbs, 2 grams of fat

(Recipe adapted from Tenley Mohlzan's website and the Tone It Up Plan)

2 egg whites

1/2 banana

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

dash cinnamon

-Crack egg whites into a bowl 

-Mash up 1/2 banana into the egg whites

-Add protein powder and cinnamon to the bowl

-Mix like crazy!

-Cook in pan like a pancake (allow to cook about 3 minutes each side)

 -Enjoy!

Here's what it looks like when it's all finished cooking:

Sometimes I add blueberries or drizzle some honey on top for sweetness but it's definitely good enough to eat plain!

I found another awesome recipe this week that I'll post later- hope you guys did better on your weight loss journeys than me this week! 

xo, Ann

Mani Monday and Diet Update

Last week I decided on the popular Essie "Ballet Slippers" but felt like it was too boring for the tail end of summer. I layered Essie "Shine of the Times" on top of it and I liked the extra little something that it added: (excuse the sloppy paint job- did it out the door!)

Unfortunately, with the end of Summer comes temptation in the form of alcohol and junk food and I did not do so hot at the diet portion of my weekend :( But I am happy to report that I am back on the horse and plan on working out and eating right for the rest of the week! Wish me luck.. hah.

xo, Ann

Inspire Me Healthy Link-up and Recipe for the Most Delicious Salad in the World

I'm participating in the lovely Kristen and Raven's link-up each Thursday and have been working hard last week to improve my eating as well as did all the prescribed lifting for Jamie Eason's Livefit program (If you haven't checked this program out already, you can here!).

First and foremost, the good news! I lost 1 1/2 pounds this week! Yippee!!! But... oh my gosh, am I sore! This lifting is no joke but I know it will help get me that toned look I want and is way more fun than the treadmill (although I know that's added into the program soon). My goal is to lose 20 pounds to get back to my best shape college weight. I haven't worked up the courage yet to share with you all my before pictures or my actual weight...I promise to do so in a few weeks when I am (hopefully!) feeling like I'm making some real progress and those before pictures will be a thing of the past :). 

As far as eating goes, I've been trying to follow the guidelines from the Livefit program which is basically 5 meals a day of clean eating. Here's what a typical day has looked like for me (and I'll share all these recipes eventually):

Breakfast: protein pancake
Snack: cottage cheese or protein bar (homemade) or protein shake
Lunch: salad with chicken or tuna
Snack: cottage cheese or protein bar (homemade) or protein shake
Dinner: something involving meat and veggies or a salad or anything really that fits the meat/veggie bill

So, I figured that I'd share with you some snaps of my eating from this week and a recipe for a salad that I made up and turned out really really good! I'll share more recipes each week or more frequently as I find good ones!


So this first Peach and Basil salad recipe I found on the lovely Veronika's blog (she got it from a Health Magazine):

 

 I loved the dressing but like my salads to have more flavorful cheese. However, my puppy, Emma, was really into it.

 

The next day, I set out for Trader Joe's and created my own salad:

 

 Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad with Basil Oil

-Half bag of arugula
- 1/2 lb of chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces

-12 oz container of strawberries, sliced

- 4 oz goat cheese crumbles

- 4 tbs crushed pecans

- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

- 1 tbs white vinegar

- 1 tbs white wine

- 1 cup fresh basil

- dash of salt

(Makes 4 servings)

1. Blend together (I used an immersion blender like the Cuisinart Smart Stick, as seen above) the olive oil, white vinegar, white wine, fresh basil and salt for the dressing. Set aside.

2. Combine all other ingredients in large bowl.

3. Divide salad among serving plates and drizzle with oil.

4. Enjoy!

  
Um, so I can't even begin to tell you how good this was. It was amazing. I think I finally found my holy grail of salads. If I were served this in a restaurant, I would be ecstatic. 

So, there you have it! Successful week of healthy eating, if you ask me! Let me know if you guys are planning on trying this salad or have any other good recipes to try-

xo, Ann

 

Thursday (2 Days Late!) Inspire Me Healthy Linkup

So.. I know that this is 2 days late but I was too excited to start to wait for next week! 

Linking up at Kristen's for Thursday Inspire Me Healthy (On Saturday- oops!)

So, although I have not been blogging it, I have completed the first 2 weeks of Jamie Eason's Live Fit program. When I say "completed" I mean I've done the lifting but totally fallen off the wagon as far as eating goes. The first 2 weeks of phase 1 are for preparing your muscles for heavy lifting according to Jamie and I'm planning on going harder these next couple weeks and trying to get my eating in check. 

The entire program is 12 weeks long and focuses on lifting with some cardio added in later on along with clean eating. It's completely free and details pretty much everything for you- so easy to follow. And seriously, look at her-

Who DOESN'T want to look like that? So, that's my plan. To complete these 12 weeks the best I can and I'll update you guys every Thursday on my progress. I'm taking before and after pics and will post them after I start seeing some results :) Anyone with me? Excited for what lies ahead!

xo, Ann