Snowshoeing ~ Mighty Mommy Monday

Over the weekend I tried out snowshoeing for the first time and I had a blast! We played outside sledding, building a fort, and even collecting maple sap at my in-laws' house. I also carried my 25 pound baby on my back for part of the time! We had a very fun time outdoors in the sunshine and snow but I also managed to squeeze in a mile of swimming, my fifth mile in 2014, with a time of 39:20.

I'm tired! It was a weekend full for physical activity. I can only look forward to more and more time outdoors when spring arrives!

BBQ Chicken Portabella Pizza

Ingredients:

• 4 Portabella mushroom caps, stem and gills removed
• 1 cup cooked, cubed chicken (1/4 cup for each pizza)
• 8 tbsp barbecue sauce (2 tbsp for each pizza)
• 1 slice of red onion, sliced thinly
• 4 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese (1 tbsp for each pizza)

Prehead oven to 400 degrees. Spray a pan with cooking spray and place the mushroom caps, gill side down, on the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the mushrooms over. Spread the barbecue sauce on then add the remaining toppings, ending with the cheese. You may also want to add diced fresh tomatoes or scallions. Bake for 10-15 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and the mushrooms have cooked through.

Each mushroom pizza is 4 points plus (calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

Planning and Preparing

I've said it before and I'll say it again: for me, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is all about planning. Each week I look over my healthy recipes and make a mental list of meals for the coming week, then I add the ingredients to my grocery order. I order groceries online from a delivery service so it's easy to keep filling my cart instead of writing down a grocery list. Typically I get the groceries delivered on Saturday and each Sunday I write out a menu plan for the coming week.

I take into account which days I have late meetings and when we having something to do in the evenings, so I try to make quick and easy meals those nights. If I know I have the ingredients for healthy meals in the fridge then I'm less likely to want take out (especially since it's so cold at night and I'd rather stay home and cook than venture out to pick up unhealthy takeout).

I also like to spend time on weekends prepping for the week ahead. For example, yesterday I made some mini broccoli quiches and froze them for quick breakfasts. I also made zucchini lasagna for myself for dinner (regular lasagna for my boys) and froze six portions of it that I'll be able to enjoy for lunches in the near future. I also made some unsweetened chunky applesauce, a family favorite, to serve alongside pork chops this week. Putting in the time to plan and prep on weekends gives me the extra help I need to stay on a healthy course during the busy workweek.

Adventure Awaits Outside

I took last week off of posting because I was extremely sick with the second stomach bug of 2014. I'm hoping it's the last! My workouts suffered accordingly, but over the course of the week I was able to get back on track. I swam my fourth mile toward my 50 mile goal. It's so cold and snowy outside and I'm finding myself with spring fever and wanting to get outside and play in warmer weather. We did spend some time over the weekend building a little snow fort (actually Joshua called it a snow castle from "Frozen") and riding the snowmobile. I went on my first snowmobile ride in years and, just as I remembered, Ed drives too fast for my taste! It was a short ride. 

I grew up spending tons of time outdoors in the winter. We had fun skating when the pond froze and I'd twirl around doing my best impression of Nancy Kerrigan. When we got to head up north to Vermont there was plenty of skiing on the easy "Toll Road" for me. I have no desire to fall when I ski, so a leisurely trip back and forth was just what I enjoy. I also liked to ride snowmobiles (slowly) and sled down the hill.  

I've found that getting outside in the winter happens less now that I'm an adult, but I'm making an effort to get out into nature when I can. The fresh air and sunshine help get rid of my feelings of cabin fever and brighten my mood. My kids sleep better when they spend more time outdoors and they seem to be in better moods, too. It's still nice to play in the snow even though I can't wait to swim out in the sunshine again!

Maple Dijon Salmon with Sauteed Spinach

I just love seafood, don't you? I figured since this is a mermaid blog I should start sharing some of my favorite recipes for fish and seafood, and this one is near the top of my list! It is so quick and easy that I love to make it on busy weeknights. My whole family eats it without complaints (well, not the spinach...) so it's a winner!

Maple Dijon Salmon

Serves 4

4 Points Plus per serving

Ingredients:

12 oz of Salmon fillets, skinless (figure about 3 oz per serving)

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp maple syrup

Mix the maple syrup and the mustard, then spread it on the salmon. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. 

Sauteed Spinach

Serves 2

1 Points Plus per serving

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 16 oz. bag of fresh baby spinach

1 spray of olive oil cooking spray

Saute 1 clove of garlic with one bag of baby spinach in a pan over medium heat until wilted. 

*Points Plus Values calculated using the recipe builder at WeightWatchers.com 

Thoughts on Deprivation ~ Mighty Mommy Monday #4

Over the past month I have seen so many posts from friends and pages on Facebook about diet changes, and all I can think is that many many people are setting themselves up for failure by depriving themselves. One person is only having fresh juice two meals a day while another is following a strict low-carb plan. Somebody else is cutting out gluten, but to another that's not enough and all grains need to be eliminated. Others are eliminating dairy, or meat, or fruit, or (insert diet taboo du jour). I have to say that I know myself, and I know that I would not personally be successful on any of these deprivation plans. In fact, I think the only reason I've been successful over the past year is that I don't deprive myself of anything! I don't have allergies or intolerances to any of these food groups, so I see no reason to eliminate them from my diet. 

Now, that's not to say that I eat whatever I want. I do impose limits on myself for portion sizes when I want to enjoy a piece of birthday cake at a party or when I get to go out or have takeout. But mostly I look to make healthier substitutions for things that I enjoy. I've found and made recipes for healthier versions of cheesecake, french fries, macaroni and cheese... and I enjoy them. I don't feel deprived and I don't ever say "I can't eat that" because I can! I can eat anything I want, but sometimes I do decide that junk is not worth it.

The only thing that I have truly eliminated is diet soda and diet iced tea, which I used to have about once or twice a week. I don't know if it was due to the sodium or if it was due to drinking more water as a replacement, but I've found that cutting it out has contributed to my success. But again, I'm not an all or nothing type of dieter. If it's a rare occasion that I get to go out to dinner, I may have a soda as a treat. (I have never been interested in alcohol, coffee or tea because I just don't like them.)

My advice to anyone embarking on a journey of healthier eating is to think about what is realistic for your life. If you really enjoy eating a variety of foods then maybe you shouldn't try to cut things out. If you can be successful and still enjoy your favorites, then do so!

In other news, I swam my second mile of the year, with a time of 39:30. I'm still kind of shocked that I'm able to swim a mile continuous freestyle when a year ago I couldn't even make one length of the pool. It's amazing what a difference a year can make!!! I've discovered that one of my great joys of the weekend is waking up and putting on my swimsuit. I can't wait until summer when I can wear a suit every day -- because I will be able to swim every day, for fun or for exercise. I'm really looking forward to swimming with my boys this summer... Who else is daydreaming about SUMMER???

Mighty Mommy Monday #3

It’s Mighty Mommy Monday! Laura of Pug in the Kitchen and I have decided to challenge you on a weekly basis.  Claim the Mighty Mommy title for yourself — every day, not just Mondays. Every week, we’ll host a link up for you to tell us what you’re doing to take care of your health: workouts, menu plans, how to keep your family active, etc. I’ve set a few goals for 2014, but my biggest is to swim a total of 50 miles this year. I even started a new blog to chronicle the process: Mighty Mermaid Mommy!

Update On My Progress

In the past week, I had to take a step back from my fitness goals to focus on my whole family's health while we weathered a stomach bug. It started at the end of the previous week with three-year-old Joshua coming down with it at school. I thought we were in the clear until the wee hours of the morning on Monday when 14-month-old David began vomiting. He recovered just in time for me to get sick Wednesday evening into Thursday. And now as I write on Sunday night, my husband Ed is showing signs that he's finally got the bug. It seems like a pretty long incubation period, where we've got one or two healthy days between family members getting sick, and it's a quick bug with only about 12 hours of actual vomiting. However, those hours are brutal and the exhaustion that followed knocked me out for the following day. In a single day I lost about five pounds due to dehydration. Now, I've already reached my healthy goal weight and I know I'm not retaining unnecessary water, so this loss hit me hard. I'm still working on getting myself and the rest of my family healthy and hydrated.

Needless to say that between the caring, resting, cleaning up and recuperation, I was unable to get any workouts in this week. I did have the chance to go swim this weekend but instead opted to join my family for a walk outdoors in the sunshine during unusually mild January weather. We really just needed that fresh air! I also managed to take the time we were all healthy over the weekend and catch up on laundry and a bit of cleaning (but not too much!) so that I won't have to worry about housekeeping during the work week.

I'm counting the past week as a rest week, which is just fine because I know it's not going to derail the healthy lifestyle that I've worked so hard to develop over the past year. I'm planning to get back to my exercise routine this week, and setting a goal of three workouts for the week. I'm going to make sure everything I eat is healthy this week without imposing restrictions, since I'm still down some weight due to my illness, and focus on getting plenty of fluids and rest.

What progress did you make toward your health & fitness goals in the past week? Share in the comments and/or go write a post about it and come back to link it up here! Feel free to use our Mighty Mommy Mondays badge in your posts or on your side bar, with a link back here, to spread the word. In the spirit of community and encouragement, please take some time to visit the other posts linked below and see what kind of goals everyone else has set for 2014. And don’t forget to come back here or to Pug in the Kitchen every Monday to share your progress!