WIAW

If I still have any readers... HI!!! Phew has it been a busy few months! I would say I'm sorry for not blogging but the truth is... I honestly have such a hard time finding things to write about. Combine that with the craziness of life that has been going on... it's been awhile since I've blogged and I'm not sorry.

Moving on... Have I got a post for you! I'm teaming up with Jenn for WIAW. I am so excited about this, not because I'm a foodie blogger (although I LOVE food) but because I'm going to share what I'll be doing for the next 8 weeks!

It is no secret that I struggle with my weight. I always have and it is definitely something I'm trying to overcome. I have some really exciting things coming up and I want to look my best. More importantly, I want to feel my best. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Well, my solution came to me in the form of Tone It Up's 8 Week Bikini Series!

If you've never heard of TIU you need to head over to the website RIGHT NOW and look at all the amazing things that Karena and Katrina offer! Their meal plans/recipes are delicious and so incredibly healthy! To join the Bikini Series it is free, however, I recommend you join their community because you get all the nutrition series for free, plus member discounts. It is well worth the $$

Since I'm a member I got early access to the meal plans and some of the workouts! I spent my Sunday mapping everything out. It made my Type A personality extremely happy :)

After planning, I went shopping. I was able to find most things at Trader Joes but went to Whole Foods for the fresh seafood and oddities (white chia seeds are hard to find!) Afterwards the fridge was fully stocked and I was able to make some delicious meals!

So far it has been an awesome first week! The Chia Seed Pudding is so tasty and filling for breakfast! My snacks and lunches are typically veggies and salads. But I have been rocking out the dinners! Plus they are all boyfriend approved! 

Needless to say, I am one smiling girl :) 

WIAW

How on earth is it only Wednesday?! The only thing getting me through today is the Blendicano that I had this morning and the awesome talk with my sister.

Thankfully, my Wednesday is almost over and I decided that I should want to post about my eats as of late. I really like reading others WIAW posts so hopefully I'll inspire someone else too!

If you didn't know, I'm working 4 jobs this summer. Yes, 4. #LifeOfATeacher. Most of my meals are ones that I can prep on Sundays, or freeze and reheat. They are also served in Tupperware or plastic bags.

My mornings have been starting with a Starbucks Blendicano. This little gem is the bomb. It is simply ice, espresso, and water blended like a frapp. Make sure you tell them no base. Sometimes I'll even hand them a packet of my Perfect Fit Chocolate Protein powder to add in. It's no calories and sooo good. Thanks to Michelle for the perfect drink :)

By the time I pick up the nanny kids and we get to summer camp, I am ready for breakfast. I recently scored a huge box of cherries from an old school parent of mine! I've been eating them like crazy and especially love them with Greek yogurt. Add a Tone It Up protein, blueberry muffin and I'm set for the morning.

By the time lunch rolls around I'm busy getting the kids fed, cleaning up the classroom, tying bracelets, and so much more. I have just enough time to make some oatmeal, and top it with pb2, Quest bar, and some granola.

When we (the nanny kids & I) get home we are usually ready for a snack. They love apples and pb or vegetables but I like to combine all of it. My favorite snack lately is Strawberry Salsa! It's so good with chips or another dipping vegetable or on its own.

After I get done nannying I grab a quick quest bar or protein shake and get my workout on. An awesome sweat sesh is always perfect after work because it gives me enough energy to get through the night and it motivates me to eat healthier! When I get home I'm starving so I pull out a pre-made turkey burger, pop it in the oven and make a salad to go with it. Quick, easy & done.

P.S Thank goodness for the Iphone pics! I'm not a foodie photographer but they turned out ok :)

WIAW + Recipe (of sorts)

Who am I right now? This is my 3rd post this week! I hope I stick to this...

So on Monday I mentioned how I wanted to be more honest on the blog but link-ups are still fun. This is one link-up I like doing. Why you may ask? It gives me a reason to photograph my food and not seem like an idiot. I can also use hashtags like #foodieprobz #WannabePhotographer #LameAsADuck

Yes. I'm that person. Go ahead and judge all you want.

 I've been really proud of myself because I've been getting up early enough to eat breakfast! A good one too, my favorite protein pancake.

 During my prep I had to have a team meeting, enter my favorite go-to snack. Quest bars. Now if you haven't tried a Quest Bar you must be living under a rock (unless you don't care about healthy eating, then I'm envious). These bars are gluten free, reasonably priced, and come in so many flavors!

Lunch was composed of a light but protein filled salad. On Sunday I meal prepped chicken, and then tossed in romain, spinach, and argula with some beets, goat cheese, and a veggie mix I got from Trader Joe's. It hit the spot.

After school I tutor until 4:30, thus my snacks have to be quick and easy. I really like my Perfect Fit Protein but I've become bored with just mixing it with milk. Plus I need something a little more filling. Enter my new favorite smoothie, the neopolitan.

 It's 1 cup Strawberry Kefir, 1 frozen banana, and 1 scoop of Chocolate Perfect fit Protein. If you want a more chocolate flavor, do 1/2 cup Chocolate Almond milk and 1/2 cup Strawberry Kefir.

I may have a bottle problem, and this is missing 3 bottles!

When I was meal prepping on Sunday, I decided to try potatoes in a new way. Well new to me. I boiled some baby Yukon Gold potatoes, drained them, placed them in a muffin tin and went SMASH, SMASH, SMASH! It worked! It made perfect, little, potato cups! Pair them with some chicken, and steamed veggies= AWESOME, EASY MEAL!

Always believing in Faith & Serendipity,

WIAW

I'm jumping on the bandwagon. What one you may ask? The What I Ate Wednesday one!

Some of you may be saying "Oh great, another wannabe foodie".

But HOLD THE HECK UP! I promise you will get a good laugh out of this!

 So recently I was talking to a fellow teacher and she was telling me about her new nutrition plan. She was complaining about having to eat all this food! I was thinking... seriously?! I would LOVE to eat all that! I mean, I didn't get the size I am because I don't eat.

So I decided to bite the bullet, pay $30, and have a nutrition plan sent to me. What I got in return... I was not expecting.

6:30 A.M Let's start with breakfast. It is recommended that I have 5 egg whites + 1 egg+ 1/4 oats! Yea, there was no way I was making all those eggs stay down. I opted to make 'fluffy' oats and put my egg whites in them. I added some Sriacha to make them have a kick ;)

9:30 A.M In case you didn't know I'm a teacher. I'm lucky needing a break and my kids have special. I'm supposed to eat ANOTHER 5 EGG WHITES + 2 Rice Cakes + 1 cup Spinach. Yea, there was no way that was happening. I mean, just 3 hrs ago I ate more than I typically have for breakfast and lunch! But I tried. I got down 1 hardboiled egg white and a rice cake with a teaspoon of pb.

12:15 Lunch. Most people think WHOO Lunch!! Nope, not me.... well anymore. I'm thinking, ugh really? And my stomach is agreeing with me. But I'm devoted to this plan so I have 1 cup spaghetti squash, 3 oz of ground turkey, and 1/2 cup organic marina sauce. It was a struggle, thus no picture.

3:30 Snack time! I had 1 cup spinach I was supposed to have in the morning + an egg white. One of my students said I looked nauseous.

5:30 P.M Now this is the really interesting part. I'm supposed to have 2 dinners! Yep 2! Do you know how much effort it took to get down 1?! Needless to say, I just repeated lunch and called it good. Then I went and worked out.

8:00 P.M After my workout I had 1 scoop of Perfect Fit Protein with 8 oz of Chocolate Almond Milk. I was actually ready to drink this and enjoy it!

Think I'm done? Oh no, not yet. So after all this food I have to prepare my body for sleep. WHO THE HECK CAME UP WITH THAT?! Really? Ok. I'll follow the rules. Enter 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of PB and tons of cinnamon. I seriously choked this down.

So needless to say I wish I was a rule breaker right now. If so I probably would have eaten 1/2 of what I did today. The amazing part? With all this food, I STILL didn't hit my calorie count and protein count! Guess tomorrow involves more eggs.... Whoo!