Cooking it Up!

I wouldn't say that I love to cook. I don't mind cooking when I have time. I usually make the time to cook primarily when I entertain, which I DO LOVE! I love when my guests' taste buds are happy because of something I made.

These days I am trying make more time to cook more just for me. I know that cooking my own food is key to living a true Eat Clean lifestyle. With the frequent cooking I do for others, you would think that I have many fancy tools to help prepare meals. Naw. My cooking tools are pretty simple. This was fine when I was not cooking regularly, but I need to step it up if I am going to making cooking a regular habit and try new clean eating recipes.

So, to start I bought an apple slicer and peeler, a new can opener, and my good friend bought me a fancy salad spinner. I also have a slow cooker that a friend gave me a couple years ago that I finally pulled out of the cabinet.

Just with these few new items, I have made some tasty clean eating dishes. My favorite: Apple "Pie". I cut and peeled apples, put them in a pan with butter cooking spray, chopped walnuts, lots of cinnamon, and two individual packs of Splenda. I then covered the apples and let them simmer. When they were nice and tender, I put the apples in a dish, sprinkled old fashioned oats and baked. YUMMY! Apple "Pie" with NO GUILT and good fat burning ingredients! Next time I may going to nix the Splenda (which I only have for guests; cinnamon usually does the trick for me).

As I type, I have Chicken Marrakesh in the slow cooker. The recipe is on page 92 of the February 2010 Oxygen. It has Chicken, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes and various spices. I can't wait to taste it.

Speaking of spices: I have also discovered a Metro Atlanta institution. The Dekalb Farmer's Market. I often wouldn't try clean eating recipes because the spices were sometimes so foreign to me and not easily found in the grocery store. I have no more excuses. The Farmer's Market seems to have every spice know to man AND CHEAP!

My goal is to try one new clean eating recipe a week. I'll keep you posted!

Just So I Keep the Momentum . . .

I am happy to say that I have lost 3 lbs during my first week of getting my you know what in gear. Three pounds may not sound like a big deal, but everyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that 3 lbs is a huge deal!

Although 3 lbs is but a drop in the bucket of my overall goal, I have decided to share my weekly progress so that I don't lose sight of my goal and so I will be shamed if I slip and go backwards!

So, here's to the first 3 lbs!

Keep the Momentum, Shay Shay! Keep working out consistently, eating clean, getting 7 hours of sleep, not eating after 8 PM, positive energy around me, and blogging! Definitely keep blogging!

The Jeans Are the Thing . . .

I know so many women who have them. Skinny Jeans. The unforgiving, can't rely on Lycra, slim in the thighs, designer skinny jeans! TV shows talk about them. There are groups and websites about them. I have a pair of my own. And just 8 months ago I was probably no more than 5 lbs away from going out in the ATL in them.

Well, this is today. And today, I am not exactly only 5 lbs away from strutting about the town in those jeans. But, I am not fretting. I am FIGHTING! Shay Shay is fighting back. I am fighting with the sword of clean eating, the shield of clean eating, the breastplate of discipline, and the helmet of focus.

By Spring, I will get into those jeans. I will look great in those jeans. But, my jeans will not just be "skinny" jeans. They will be lean muscle, toned legs and abs to envy jeans. I will do this!

I am Shay Shay!

Hibernating but Not Storing Up on the Bad Stuff!

This winter has been the coldest since I moved to ATL! Thursday night the ice came. I don't mess with the ice--more importantly, I don't mess with those who try to drive on the ice! After waking up to news of a 29 car pile up and seeing the icy hill that I would have to test in front of my house, I decided to work from home. And, I didn't leave all day! I worked as much as I could (our office closed early), then I hibernated at home. There was no reason to leave!

Thank goodness I had cleared out all the bad snacks that I had accumulated over the holidays. I stuck to clean, regular eating through out the day. There was no need to overeat or try to figure out how to make a good snack into a bad one (those darn Stacey's Pita Chips are good snacks, but they also taste so good that they can turn into a bad snack because you want to eat the whole bag!). Storing up extra calories was not an option!

My muscles were still sore from the weight training earlier this week, so I decided to take the day as a rest day. So, I had to be even more careful not to overeat while still keeping my metabolism up.

I still haven't figured out if I will venture out today. Tennis was cancelled because of road conditions and ice on the courts. Whatever I do, I am determined to eat sensibly. I will try to get in some exercise. I have plenty of options to burn calories right here at home!

No excuses!

I have goals to reach!

I am COLD, but I am still Shay Shay! The warm weather is coming, and I WILL be ready this time!

These Legs are Made for Working Out!

Ah, today was leg day! I love leg day! When you have nice, strong, toned legs everyone notices! I have been blessed with pretty nice legs. They are not where I want them to be, but I can still work a nice pair of heels or tennis skirt! LOL!

Of all my body parts, my legs tone up the fastest when I workout. My legs are also 10 times stronger than my upper body. This may be why I love leg day so much. Consistent, efficient leg work equals some pretty darn toned legs for Shay Shay in NO TIME!

And today was a WORK OUT! My legs haven't worked this hard in quite some time! If Anna Mae (my trainer) had been there, my legs would have stopped after the first 10 minutes!

Well its doing some sort of snow/sleet thing, so I am glad I got leg day in this morning!

Now, I can bundle up by the fire with my blanket and a 100 calorie pack of popcorn and enjoy some Shay Shay time!

My Word Motivators

I'm one of those people who really appreciates the power of words. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very deliberate in my communication--often carefully choosing my words to make sure the message I want to convey is accurately heard.

While in cycling class, the instructor asked "How fine do you want to be?" His words rang so true to me that I started spinning like crazy! I want to be as fine as I know I can be! :-)

On my ride home, I started to ponder: If the cycling instructors words motivated me to give me all, what other words will motivate me and how will I use them to Keep the Momentum Going!!!

Since I'm addicted to the Crackberry, I'm going to put reminders on my calendar with motivating words that will pop up throughout the day to remind me why I am on this journey and what it takes to get there. I will use these words to motivate me to positive action toward accomplishing my fat loss goals.

Here are just a few:

1. Nothing tastes as great as being Fit, Fine, and Healthy feels!
2. Keep the Momentum Going!
3. Eating that sugar now will make this journey HARDER tomorrow!
4. How fine do you want to be, Shay Shay?!?!
5. I Have It in Me to be All I Should Be!

Happy Hump Day!

Happy New Year! and Stopping the Insanity!

Well, I think today is the last day I can say Happy New Year without sounding too lame!

Several people have asked me if I had New Year's resolutions. Answer: NO!

What I do have is a body that is not at goal! Not only am I not at goal, I am not even as close as I was just seven (7) months ago! And for seven (7) months I've been "getting back on track" only to get farther and farther away from my goal. I actually hesitated being so honest about this failure, but the proof is in the closet. And in the dressing room. And in the pictures. You get my drift!

So, what is Shay Shay going to do about it!?!?!

I am going to STOP THE INSANITY! I'm going to stop doing the same thing and expecting a different result!

1. Training with a trainer again. I first noticed my goals slipping away when I stopped working with my trainer who obviously had other stuff going on such that he could not commit to the training program we had agreed upon. But, I can't blame him. This is my Life and my Journey. I have to control it!

So, this morning I started having formal training again. It was TOUGH and GREAT all at the same time! I am sore as I type, but it's that nice kind of sore that reminds you that you accomplished something that was good for you today. I'm looking forward to consistent training and will make sure I keep a trainer in my fitness world!

2. Stop all the Food Compromises and Setting Dates to Get Back on Track! Every time I get to a place where I say, "I'm really making great progress; I'm going to get to my goal" I start the food compromises. The series of compromises turn into just plain ol' bad eating and then I say, I am going to get through to Date X and then back on track! ENOUGH! I am not crazy enough to think I will never eat something that is less than clean. I am not crazy enough to even think that I shouldn't indulge from time to time. But, I when I do indulge, I need to savor the moment and MOVE ON to restored clean eating with the very next food opportunity.

And that's it. 1-2; 1-2. I am not going to focus on a bunch of different things. If I just do these two (2) things, I will reach my goal!

Stay tuned . . .