Monday, November 26, 2012

Weeks of Eats + My Current Favorite Cardio

So it's now been two weeks since I last blogged. Sheesh. I am not so good at this, apparently! The thing is, I love to blog, I love to share what's going on in my life, what I've learned, etc. The catch, however, is that I am a wife, I am a mom to 2 young kids, I have a full-time job, I struggle to fit in my quiet time, I cook, I exercise, I clean, I run errands, I make lunches, I do laundry, and I'm supposed to sleep in there somewhere too. Yep, life is full. I'm lucky if I get to sit down while I'm at home, much less blog. But (yes, there is a but), I LOVE to blog. So I'm just making time when I can. And today, I can! Tomorrow, who knows? The fact is, when I'm home my role as a wife and mother come first. And I never want anything to interfere with those roles.  So if I'm absent from the blog world for a few days (or weeks) at a time, please know that I'll be back. And please keep reading! You can always follow me on Instagram under brookeeking. And now I'm also (finally) on Twitter under @milkandhoneyfds.  Please check in with me there, and follow me! Leave me your comments on those networks and on this blog so that I know that you're reading!!

Trying to catch up on the last few weeks would be the longest post ever.  So, here are some pictures of meals and snacks that I've been enjoying!



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Thanksgiving dinner! I contributed roasted vegetables and Harvest Quinoa Salad (recipe from Heather here.) Yum! Also had my mom's salad, and a bit of cheese grits and sweet potato casserole (it had gluten, unfortunately, because it was delicious!).

 Ian and I went to Austin over the weekend and ate lunch at Whole Foods, dinner at Bess Bistro (Sandra Bullock's restaurant...that's where the amazing vegetable board was consumed), and another lunch at a small vegan restaurant. Yeah. It was good.



The stuffed acorn squash was dinner tonight. I based it on a recipe from Kasey's website (you can find the original here.) I didn't have tomatoes, so omitted those and added some corn. I also added in some green chiles and black olives (in my husband's anyway...I can't stand them!). This was a wonderful, filling meal, chocked full of protein, fiber, and some healthy fat. Yum!
 As you can see, I've eaten well. I've eaten a bit of gluten here and there (couldn't resist a couple of bites of Whole Foods' vegan cookies!). And even tried a little turkey on Thanksgiving. Honestly, it just didn't appeal to me. I like the way I feel so much better without eating those things!
 
This was actually the first Thanksgiving in recent memory that I haven't been miserable after the meal. I was actually able to enjoy the day! Yay!!
 
Despite a wacky schedule, I've pretty much kept my workouts on track. Sometimes I've had to cram things in at odd times, but I feel so much better mentally and physically if I get something in that I make it work! I find that when my schedule is crazy and I"m stressed out, I crave a workout even more. As I've mentioned before, exercise is a huge stress reliever for me. I think my stress must be stored in my sweat ;).
 
One night, I ended up working out in the living room at 9:30 p.m. It was a quick one, Zwow #43 and a Tara Stiles 7-minute yoga video. It felt great!
 Berkeley was exhausted just watching me, apparently.

 Thanksgiving morning, I participated in the annual Run Thru the Woods, a local 5-mile race. This year was a PR for me...43 minutes, and some seconds (can't remember exactly!). I still can't believe that my pace was under a 9-minute mile. Honestly, the last mile was rough. I stopped and walked a few times, but I'm incredibly happy with where I finished. My time was actually around 5 minutes faster than last year. My natural pace has gotten quite a bit faster over the last year...something I attribute completely to weightlifting and interval training. I don't do speed workouts, I don't have a goal pace, I don't watch my heart rate...I just run. I have no desire to take the fun out of my running!
 
Speaking of interval workouts, I wanted to share my current favorite one with you. Lately, I've developed a fixation with the Stepmill. Not sure why, but I love to hate this beast. It makes me sweat like nothing else, and I love how I feel it in my butt the next day!
 
So, without further adieu, my 30-minute Stepmill interval:
 
  • 0:00 - 2:00        Level 7
  • 2:00 - 4:00        Level 8
  • 4:00 - 5:00        Level 9
  • 5:00 - 5:30        Level 16
  • 5:30 - 6:00        Level 9
  • 6:00 - 6:45        Level 16
  • 6:45 - 7:15          Level 9
  • 7:15 - 8:15          Level 16
  • 8:15 - 8:45         Level 9
  • 8:45 - 10:00      Level 16
  • 10:00 - 10:30    Level 9
  • 10:30 - 12:00    Level 16
  • 12:00 - 12:30    Level 9
  • 12:30 - 14:30    Level 16
  • 14:30 - 15:00    Level 9
  • 15:00 - 17:00    Level 17
  • 17:00 - 17:30    Level 9
  • 17:30 - 19:00    Level 17
  • 19:00 - 19:30    Level 9
  • 19:30 - 20:45    Level 17
  • 20:45 - 21:15     Level 9
  • 21:15 - 22:15      Level 17
  • 22:15 - 22:45     Level 9
  • 22:45 - 23:30    Level 17
  • 23:30 - 24:00    Level 9
  • 24:00 - 24:30    Level 17
  • 24:30 - 25:00    Level 9
  • 25:00 - 27:00    Level 17
  • 27:00 - 30:00    Level 8
Adjust to your fitness level and desired effort. That's the beauty of a workout like this...you can make it yours! If you try it out, let me know what you think :)
 
Okay, so that's all for now. It's late and I still have lunches to make!  Have a wonderful, blessed day!
 
Verse of the Day:
"...having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,...."  Eph. 1:18 (ESV)

2 comments:

  1. If I may be nosey, what is a typical days worth of meals and snacks consist of? I'd love to see a "meal plan" poet that shows a snapshot of ur meals from bf to dinner :)

    What foods do and don't u eat?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not nosy at all! (And I'm glad that I saw this today, because I obviously haven't posted in a while!) I'm trying to get things running again, so I'll think about doing a "meal plan" post soon! Maybe this weekend?

    ReplyDelete