Keeping up with Kate

Week 3 – Accountability

Posted on April 29, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

Week 3 is in the books. It was a much tougher week than I expected even though I achieved a score (that I calculated) of 87%.

My week 3 goals were to limit my daily coffee to 2 K cups per day and add 2-3 green smoothies (for the week). In addition, to continue my week 2 goal (salad at every meal) and week 1 goal (80 ozs of water per day). I achieved 100% of the week 3 goals and I missed 1 salad (I think it was Tuesday – that was my blur day) and 1 day of water (Tuesday as well).

My observations on the past week:

A tough week – everything felt a little harder this week. I don’t know if was incorporating all 3 goals in a cumulative fashion or just that this was ‘hump’ week of the transformation.
A bit of upset stomach on Tuesday into Wednesday.
Low energy pre-Wednesday workout – felt much better after the workout.
Green Smoothies — I’m not a fan! – I’m sure part of it is I’m not eating fruit (under the guidance of a nutritionist) and I did put avocado (1/2 in it – which I love) – it was just too think – even after I re-blended it. I had my last one for lunch on Friday – and I found out I enjoy eating lunch over drinking it. I will leave the smoothies for now for my in a pinch breakfast. Just not for me on a regular basis.

Celebrate my Success: Not limiting my coffee this weekend – I won’t go crazy – but I’ll enjoy my morning cup of Joe even more!

Easy – Yummy – Healthy Dessert

Posted on April 28, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

As part of the 6 week Spring Transformation, we’ve been able to participate in evening workshops. The most recent one was a Greek cooking workshop focusing on 3 easy but different salads and a dessert. I plan on making the salads (I’ll post about them later). I enjoyed all of the items, but was really amazed at how easy, yummy and healthy you can make a dessert (I have a major sweet tooth).

The dessert was Baklava Fillo Cups by Viva! Mangia! Opa! by Thekla Mazzella (Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viva-Mangia-Opa-by-Thekla-Mazzella/227422350627471?group_id=0). (Thekla will be posting vegan recipes on her FB page this week)

Here is the recipe:

2 Cups of toasted almond slices (I bought mine at BJs)
1/2 Cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened from Black Forest Acres)
2 T of sesame seeds
1 T cinnamon
3 T honey (I used organic raw honey) (I ended up using about 4T – you’ll see why later).
Box of mini fillo cups (you can fined them in the frozen food desserts section in the grocery store – there were 15 in the box)

Toast your almonds first (I did mine on the stove)

Toasting Almonds on the Stove – med/high heat for a few minutes – I did about 1/2 a cup at a time.

Let almonds cool (this is what I didn’t do and why I think I needed another T of honey). Mix almonds, coconut, sesame seeds, cinnamon and honey together until all ingredients are coated well. Place mixture into fillo cups.

Mini Fillo Cups – aren’t they just adorable?

Here is the finished product –

Baklava Fillo Cup

These are so delicious. You can even drizzle chocolate on them – can you imagine? 🙂

I have some extra mixture and it tastes fabulous by itself. I figure it will be good in yogurt, ricotta cheese and I might even try it in some cottage cheese!

Enjoy!!

PS: Thanks Thekla – they were a huge hit!!

You are Responsible for the Energy…

Posted on April 26, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

My fitness studio (www.bodyprojectfitness.com) just started Open Studio days. I had the opportunity to go during lunch last week and check it out. This was my first time trying this out. I was a little nervous as I didn’t know how many people would be there. When I got there was one other member working out – she was almost done with the first circuit. By the time the workout was explained to me and I was heading to my second circuit – I was the only working out. I kept my focus and remembered this saying that is posted in the studio – ‘You are responsible for the energy you bring into this space’. I kept my focus. It was like I had my own personal gym! 🙂

One of the many inspirational / motivational pictures I see every workout!

Here’s the workout:

There were 3 circuits with 3 exercises – complete 3 times:

Circuit #1: High Skips (3xs up and back), 10 Renegade push-ups, 10/side alt. leg v-up (abs)

Circuit #2: Grapevines (3xs up and back), 20 oblique squats (these were killers) (and I felt them the next day for sure), 15 bosu crunches

Circuit #3: Slides (3xs up and back), 15 Frog squats, 15 DB toe touches

There was a finisher workout that I didn’t do as I had to get back home for a quick shower and back to work. I felt energized and ready to tackle my afternoon.

I was feeling so great that I went back in the evening for Yoga! We used blocks for the entire practice. This was a first for me. The highlight of the evening for me was doing a standing balancing triangle! I’m always afraid of standing on one leg/any balancing type poses – so this was a big balance accomplishment for me!

DIY – Almond Butter

Posted on April 25, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

I decided it was time to pull out my Vitamix and use if for more than making smoothies. I wanted to make my own almond butter and almond flour (still working on perfecting this). It was super easy!

I just love my Vitamix – favorite kitchen tool

I got my non-roasted almonds from BJs. I think about $10 for the bag.

All Natural Whole Almonds from BJs – very affordable

I added 2 cups of Almonds into my Vitamix with the tamper in place.

2 Cups of Almonds in Vitamix with tamper - apparently I need to do a better job of getting the water spots off the vitamx.

2 Cups of Almonds in Vitamix with tamper – apparently I need to do a better job of getting the water spots off the Vitamix.

I turned the Vitamix onto 1 and quickly turned it up to 10 and then moved it to High (use your tamper to push down the almonds) – it is very quick – you will hear the Vitamix start to churn hard as the Almonds release their oils – which helps create the Almond Butter. This should be done between 1 – 3 minutes no more – listen to your machine so you don’t burn it out.

Here is what it looks like in the Vitamix:

Almond Butter in the Vitamix

And the final product in its container.

Finished Almond Butter – yum!

I used a nice heaping tablespoon in my pre-workout shake along with 4 ozs of unsweetened almond milk, 4 ozs water and 1 scoop of Chocolate Sun Warrior protein mix. I put all ingredients into the Vitamix – delicious (and made for a great workout)!

Enjoy!

Hump Day Workout

Posted on April 24, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

Not only is today Hump Day – but this is “Hump” week for the 6 week Spring Transformation – week 3! I started feeling kind of crappy yesterday morning – felt better today but still not feeling great when I made it to my evening workout. It was interesting to see everyone tonight sort of in the same boat – not a lot of pep in the room.

So tonight’s workout was perfect for our little ‘pepless’ group! 🙂 Workout at your own pace!

Here was tonight’s workout – 5 rounds or 25 minutes:

15 High Knees
10 Tricep Crusher (each side) (10 lbs)
10 Deadlifts (12 lbs)
10 Back Rows (12 lbs)
10 Mountain Climbers (each side)
10 reverse lunges (each side)
5 helicopters (each side)
10 Squats with a Plie

I completed all 5 rounds with a minute or so to spare. We finished the night up with some abs and stretching. Everyone (including me) left with a lot more energy and glad we all made it tonight!

Have a great evening!

Green Smoothie #3

Posted on April 22, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

One of my goals for week 3 of the Spring Transformation is to drink 2 – 3 green smoothies. I made a batch of about 3 yesterday to store for the week.

Here is what I included:

1 cup of coconut water (Organic – Unsweetened)
3 cups of coconut milk (Unsweetened)
3 – 4 large handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 avocado
2 T raw cacao powder (Navitas Naturals) (probably should’ve added more)
3 T raw almond butter (Trader Joe’s Raw)
2 T Organic Flax Seed
1 T natural peanut butter
1 -2 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet of Sweet Leaf (stevia)
Cinnamon
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
You could add berries or a banana if you like. Berries are low glycemic and better option than a banana as they are higher in sugar. I didn’t add the fruit as I seem to be very sensitive to the sugar.

I use a vitamix so it does a nice job of blending. I added the first 3 ingredients first to blend it all together. Next I added the rest and blended until nicely mixed. It is not a pretty color at all – I thought the raw cocoa would make it look like chocolate (it did not).

I poured into shaker bottles and stored in the refrigerator.

I had my first one today – about 12 ozs. Since I was having it pre-workout, I did add more water, ice cubes and 1 scoop of Sun Warrior Chocolate vegan protein mix. My workout was at 7:00 pm. I normally have my pre-workout shake about 45 – 30 minutes before my workout. Since there are a lot more ingredients in this smoothie I had it about an hour ahead of time. I was a bit draggy today and I did have a good workout (I’m thinking this had something to do with it). Guess I will see later this week as I will alternate between my normal shakes and this green smoothie.

Enjoy!

Week 2 Accountability and Week 3 Goals

Posted on April 22, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

As promised – here is how I did on my Week 2 goals. The goal is to achieve 80 – 100%.

Drink 80 ozs of water per day (which includes preparing the night before – filling up my pitcher – seems so simple, but something that I put off). 100% Goal Achieved
Set calendar for every 2 hours to get up and move around (away from my desk). 90% Goal Semi Achieved (got up and walked around every 2 hours – never put it on my calendar).
Have vegetables (non-starch) at every meal. I actually do a good job at breakfast and I’m getting better at lunch – dinner is sometimes the challenge – I use a personal chef and sometimes the meal has a starch vegetable and I don’t have a salad or add something else. I will add a salad to my evening meal. 90% of Goal Achieved – only night without a salad was Saturday night (although I did have asparagus – and do wasabi peas count?)

Other successes: Tried out the Open Studio and made it to Project Sculpt on Thursday (killer workout). Additionally made two yoga classes this week and was able to do a standing balanced triangle.

Celebrate: Got to see a college friend and her family last night who I haven’t had a chance to see in quite some time. It was a great time!!

Notes/Reflections/Revelations: Preparation makes things so much easier!

Week 3 Goals:

Address my coffee addiction – Limit 2 K cups per day.
Add 2 – 3 green smoothies into my weekly menu – most likely pre-workout – good news is I’ve already made them and they are in shaker bottles in my fridge. I had one today – pre 7:00 pm workout. Not too bad (I did add protein mix – didn’t have it in the batch I made last night). (I’ll post later what I put in the smoothie)
Continue the following:
Drink 80 ozs of water per day
Get up and move around every 2-3 hours during the workday
Eat a salad with dinner

I’ll post my results and observations next week.

Week 2 – Goal

Posted on April 15, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

I’m building on my week 1 goals and adding another goal for this week. My ultimate goal is to make these become new habits. I don’t have a lot of distractions except this Wednesday, I do have a board meeting in the evening – which means I will miss my HardBody workout (and I missed tonight as I had a touch of food poisoning last night – feeling better now – just a little wiped out). I’m trying to figure out if it will go to the open workout during lunch or make it up on Saturday morning (I’ll keep you posted).

Here are my week 2 goals:

Drink 80 ozs of water per day (which includes preparing the night before – filling up my pitcher – seems so simple, but something that I put off).
Set calendar for every 2 hours to get up and move around (away from my desk).
Have vegetables (non-starch) at every meal. I actually do a good job at breakfast and I’m getting better at lunch – dinner is sometimes the challenge – I use a personal chef and sometimes the meal has a starch vegetable and I don’t have a salad or add something else. I will add a salad to my evening meal.

I’ll let you know how I do next week (and try to post daily on my accountability page).

Week 1 – Accountability

Posted on April 14, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

Last week started BodyProject Fitness’ (http://bodyprojectfitness.com/) 6 week Spring Transformation. We do these twice a year (Spring and Fall) – a great way to re-focus on fitness and nutrition goals! We were all asked to post our goals for the week so we could have accountability and support.

My goal was to drink 80 ounces of water a day and get up and move around every 2-3 hours (I spend a lot of time on conference calls).

Day 1: Goal Achieved (HardBody Class)
Day 2: Goal Achieved (Yoga)
Day 3: Goal Achieved (HardBody Class)
Day 4: 50% of goal achieved – was in NYC for work and got quite a bit of walking in; however, my water was no where near 80 ozs of water – it is such a challenge to get all that water in when you are in meetings – but I did try (oh and I had an event in the evening that made it a challenge as well). (nice amount of walking)
Day 5: 50% of goal achieved – should’ve had more control as I was at home; however, really busy day on the phone and working on some important projects – just ran out of time in the day. (about 50% of water and 50% of movement during the day)
Day 6: Goal Achieved (Yoga)

So 4 out of 6 days, I hit my goal at 100%! And if I was grading my week based on the scores I’d be at 83% or a B! I knew Day 4 was going to be a challenge. I tried to prepare, but sometimes ‘life’ gets in the way. I’m pretty happy with my results. And the really good thing is I didn’t beat myself up on the days I didn’t hit my goal – I’m understanding the why and learning from it.

Spring Break 2013

Posted on April 13, 2013 by keepingupwithkate91

Last week, I was on Spring Break for the first time since I was in college and the destination was beautiful Anna Maria Island, Florida (about an hour outside of Tampa). My college destination was Central PA. I was pretty darn excited to be going someplace warm, spend time with my family and just get away as 2013 has been super busy for me so far.

The travel day was a bit of a pain – major airport delays (non weather related). However, I did get to hang with my brother and his family – and we toasted the end of Lent at the airport bar (I gave up alcohol for Lent) – here is my first cocktail – yummy Bloody Mary!

First Adult Beverage post Lent – yummy Bloody Mary

I also treated myself to a last minute 1st Class Upgrade – the downside – the gentleman sitting next to me snored like a freight train – so annoying!

Finally in Florida – Flip Flops on before heading to the Condo – post flight

I’m not going to bore you with a blow by blow of what I did on my vacation. However, I will hit some of the highlights:

Lunch and Cocktails at The Sand Bar in Anna Maria – right on the beach – beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico.
View from our seat on the patio at The Sandbar
Getting 3 days on Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach – a great public beach.
View from my chair at Manatee Beach
Fishing on the “Wanna Go” with my Dad and Brother – we caught lots of Spanish Mackerel and one Sea Trout (well my Dad caught that one). Spanish Mackerel taste yummy marinated in Ken’s Teriyaki (low sugar too) and grilled.
Our catch from our morning fishing on the “Wanna Go”

Post fishing beverage

Spending time with my parents, brother, sister-in-law and my niece and nephew
Skinny’s – yum – they post their wait based on the number of beers. Our first order was a 2.5 beer wait – by the time I walked up from the beach it was a 3.5 beer wait (good thing my order was already placed – I did enjoy 2 Corona Lights before our order was up!).
Great burgers, ice cold beer (frosted mugs and a cool cylinder in pitchers) and atmosphere (and 1/2 a block from the beach)!
3 Great Workouts at Island Fitness in Holmes Beach
Having dinner with a life long friend, her husband and my Mom – oh and the food was fabulous – The Palm in Tampa! And we were seated in the Steinbrenner Booth!
Dinner at The Sign of the Mermaid with my parents and the Taylors – food was great and the company was fabulous
Having one last Corona Light or two with the above group at Skinny’s on Friday night! 🙂

It was a great vacation – went by way to quickly (was bummed that Thursday was a complete bust – lots of rain)!

Just one of many pictures I took during the all day rain.

I could’ve used another week as I was just starting to figure where everything was located (and other things I wanted to do). I would go back – very relaxing!

Last Day on the Beach!