HelloKelly Tries to Get Healthy

Late 20s, from Hawaii, on a mission to live a delicious and healthy life. Keeping myself accountable.

[gotnotimeforfat]

Low Calorie Black Bean Pasta

I’ve been on a kick this week for pasta and this recipe gets my fiber, vegetables, and craving satisfied! Also I can make it in 10 minutes. That easy.  Here’s the recipe below.

Ingredients

1 serving (56g) Trader Joe’s Black Bean Rigatoni

1 c spinach

2 tbsp round onion

1 clove garlic

3 oz bell peppers (mixed)

1 c broccoli

1/2 Classico Four Cheese Marinara Sauce

Directions

Basically follow the directions on the pasta package and cook the pasta. Add olive oil to a pan and let it heat up. Add garlic, onion, bell peppers, broccoli, and let it cook on medium heat. Add the spinach to the pan once the broccoli looks cooked. Cook until spinach wilts. Drain pasta and combine with vegetables in a bowl. Add pasta sauce while still hot. 

Servings: 1 Calories: ~350

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Eating More Consciously - Breakfast

Okay it’s no secret that I love food and I’m not a fitness guru or whatever. And yesterday I ate the other half of the Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Popcorn. And today I plan to have wild mushroom risotto for lunch (sorry domesticated mushrooms). And I probably eat well about 60 or 70% (if I’m feeling generous) of the time. 

However, I do try to track my food and be aware of not spending a ton more calories than what I have in my bank account. I have been trying to up the protein % in the protein-fat-carbs ratios. And I do try to exercise. Bottom line, I’m not perfect, but I do try to make sure I still fit my pants and take care of the body I’ve been given. 

I’ve also been trying to eat with more meaning. What I mean by that is, I’ll now try to choose foods for function when I’m not choosing them for deliciousness (mushroom risotto). So here’s an example of my breakfast:

Here’s the breakdown of my meal:

Half a Fuji Apple: High in fiber, eat first since I’ve heard it’s easier to digest, makes you fuller (because duh fiber)

2 Egg Whites: Not gonna lie, had them with some pepper and shoyu. But I dont eat meat so here’s a portion of my protein for the day. Also have been rumored to fill you up.

2 Cups of Spinach: It’s a vegetable filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Basically good for you.

Steel cut oatmeal: Boost of complex carbs and more fiber! And protein too.

Whole heap of cinnamon: Might’ve been a bit too liberal with the cinnamon here. However, it’s one of the most healthiest spices on the planet. It lowers blood sugar levels, reduces heart risk, antioxidant, immunity boosting, etc.

Chia seeds (under the cinnamon pile): Loaded with fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and various micronutrients. (Why not MEGANUTRIENTS??)

Typically for breakfast I order a 2 egg white omelette with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and a cheese blend. The line was too long today, so that was my substitute! 

Anyway, bottom line is to dont kill yourself trying to eat like Gwenyth Paltrow and have a balance. And for the healthy choices in your life, eat with a purpose!

[gotnotimeforfat]

On Exercise

“Something is better than nothing”

So I’ve been working out consistently for over a year or two now. I typically work out in the morning because if it’s not in the morning, it doesn't happen. I personally like to run and lift weights and the amount I run varies depending on how I’m feeling and how late I’m running. But even if it’s just a mile, something is ALWAYS better than nothing. 

Here’s the minimum I do now at least 3-4 times during the weekdays:

20-30 min run. It can be 2 miles, 20 minutes on an incline, etc. I just run. Alternatively, if I have a mean blister or hurt myself, I’ll do some elliptical, bike, and now, a little rowing. 

Weights (if I have time). I’ll do some arms, squats, and some obliques. And stretching in between as well.

1 minute plank. I hate it, but it’s taught me to be patient.

Crunches work out.

Stretching.

I finish this all under an hour typically. It’s an easy game plan, especially if you dont know where to start in the gym!

[gotnotimeforfat]

True Foods Spaghetti Squash

I’ve been fluctuating with losing between having lost 5-6 lbs at this point and after certain food filled weekends, I have to make sure to check in with myself and be stricter with myself throughout the week. There is a True Foods near my boyfriend’s house in Orange County and I had a hankering for their spaghetti squash casserole. So I tried to find some similar recipes and made my own!

Ingredients:

1 whole Spaghetti squash

15 Ciliegene Cheese from Trader Joes

1 bottle Classico 4 cheese pasta sauce

6 cups of spinach

1/4 c onion

1/2 c pecorino romano from Trader Joes

Directions:

1) Microwave spaghetti squash for 2-3 minutes until it’s soft. Split it open length wise, remove the seeds, and baked it in a dish for 45 minutes until soft. Let it sit to cool off.

2) Cook the onions and spinach and cut the ciliegene balls in half (for more spreading) and set aside.

3) Scoop out the spaghetti squash from the skin and set aside in a bowl. Spray a 9x13 tray with PAM and set aside.

4) Layer spaghetti squash on the bottom, half the sauce, half the pecorino cheese, and then half the spinach/onions. Then repeat with the last half. Cover the top with cligiene cheese and bake for 20 minutes on broil or until the cheese bubbles.

Serve and eat!

So the only downside to this is that I feel like I’ve had a lot of salt that day when I eat one for lunch and one for dinner. I’m looking for other spaghetti squash recipes that are equally as tasty and healthy though! 

[gotnotimeforfat]

Back on Track

So after half a year of interviewing for job, traveling to Japan, changing jobs, being the MOH in a wedding, and running a political campaign, I am back on track! I’m using the app “Lose It” as a way to track what I eat and be more conscious of my portion size. It also lets me track my exercise, which is really convenient as well!

And again, it’s not about losing weight, it’s about living a more consistently healthy lifestyle. However, I think it’s important to find your own happy weight. This doesnt mean you should set unrealistic goals for yourself. For example, during periods when I’ve become sad, almost depressed, although it was fun to be 115 lbs and fit everything in my closet, there is no way I could have maintained that in the long run. I love food too much and my metabolism isnt what it used to be. I think my own happy weight is 120 lbs. It’s uncomfortable and doesnt feel good to be above that, which I am right now. That’s how you probably can tell what your happy weight is.

In the last year, I think I’ve run more consistently than any other time in my life. I also have been lifting more as well. However, I firmly do believe it is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise so that’s probably where my downfall is. I’ll be posting more as my journey continues!

[gotnotimeforfat]

Tropical Green Smoothie

What a great alternative to a pina colada! Is it still healthy if I add vodka? ;)

http://kitchenofeatin.com/tropical-green-smoothie/

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Cauliflower “Alfredo”

It’s Sunday and I’m craving pasta... for breakfast. I eat what I like.

It also gives me an excuse to try a recipe from the Detoxinista site for Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo. Now I’m a little bit hesitant with health food recipes that mimic IRL recipes, just because I’ve had some terrible experiences in the past. And I’m pretty sure it’s not me because I’ve tried several variations of the banana “pancake” recipe with no flour. 

Here’s the link to the recipe: http://detoxinista.com/2013/05/creamy-cauliflower-alfredo-dairy-free-nut-free/

We’ll see how this goes!

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Overnight Oats after a morning workout! A little obsessed. Chia seeds, old fashioned oats, cinnamon, a splash of vanilla almond milk, and plain almond milk. The old fashioned oats to milk ratio is 1:1. Add a little more to account for the chia seeds. Happy Saturday!

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Juice Cleanse

applecelerycucumberkalelemonparsleyromainespinachI know I’ve been kind of MIA, but know that I’ve had more healthy days that not healthy days this year!

So this is the third time I’m attempting a juice cleanse in my life. This time I have my roommate’s boyfriend also doing it today so we can hold each other accountable... And for moral support. Last 2 times went terribly. So let me share my cleanse journey with you.

The Plan

Pressed Juicery opened on Santana Row near my house and Costco had a giftcard sale so that’s how I ended up picking Pressed Juicery. I’ve had several of their juices along with their delicious freezes (the vanilla one is only 40 calories and it’s so yummy!) in the past as well so I know they’re good. (Just expensive.) I picked up the juices yesterday and man, were they heavy! I was worried the bag would break and I’d end up like Kevin from “Home Alone”.

Per the cleanse options in the link below, Ian chose cleanse 2 (subbing out the vanilla for the coconut cinnamon) and I chose cleanse 3 (subbing out a Greens 1 for a Roots 1). Each cleanse comes with 6 juices and 2 “waters”. You’re also supposed to drink 8 cups of water on top of that.

https://www.pressedjuicery.com/products/juice-cleanses

https://www.pressedjuicery.com/products/juices

The one Ian chose is the most popular one, the one I chose is the most extreme, but I do love green juice (which most people find nasty) so this is the cleanse for me. However, this might be a mistake since I didn't prepare very well before hand.

My Cleanse Updates

Here is my potential schedule and the updates throughout the day on how it’s going. I went into my client today for at least half the day, so I could stay away from food as much as possible. Besides, it gave me a chance to use this beauty:

9 AM - Greens 1: I just finished a light work out and am at work so I avoid surrounding myself with the food I have at home. My first juice has kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, and celery and only 60 calories for the whole bottle. Yum :) It’s light and not too sweet, just the way I like it. Very refreshing. Ian had Greens 2. 

10 AM - 2 cups of water: Still finishing up my first juice, but also started drinking water too. I have a PINK reusable cup which holds up to 3 cups of water so I’ll be drinking out of this to track my water intake. I’m already a little hungry :( If anything, this cleanse is an inner battle, challenging my willpower. I’ll tell you now, I’m a weak person. I just finished all 3 cups of water in my mug x_x I told Ian he had to drink 8 cups of water. His response? “Seriously this doesnt seem right [to have 3 gallons of liquid and no solid food]”

11 AM - Citrus 1: Time for juice #2! All the liquid makes you want to pee. It also doesn't help the room I’m in is really cold and the juice is cold too so I’m freezing. This juice has cucumber, pineapple, lemon, coconut water, and aloe vera. It’s only 120 calories for the whole bottle and tastes like something you would want to drink at a spa! The pineapple really comes through, which is my favorite. I kind of want to savor this one for as long as I can. Ian has Citrus 2.

12 PM - 2 cups of water: If you’ve ever been out drinking and had the urge to pee, you’ve heard the phrase “don’t release the flood gates!” Basically for those under 21 or over 50, this phrase means that once you pee, you cant stop after. This is the case right now. Except I haven't been drinking any alcohol. Unfortunately, this cleanse doesnt allow alcohol of any kind. I still have juice #2 left, but I’m just trying to ration that out by drinking water at the same time. However, I’m not as ravenous as I thought I’d be by now. Trick is to keep yourself full of liquids. The afternoon has yet to come though...

12:20 PM: We’ve resorted to sending each other inspirational quotes because we are hungry.

12:40 PM: Ian just discovered we can drink decaffeinated herbal tea. What a treat!

1 PM - Greens 2: Looking forward to that vanilla almond one at the end of the day. I’ve had to stop looking at Facebook on my phone because everyone keeps posting food pics. (It’s either that or unfriend them.) Time for Juice #2! This one has apple, celery, cucumber, kale, lemon, parsley, romaine, and spinach juice. And it’s 140 calories for the whole bottle. It’s sweeter than the first Greens I had and the juice looks thicker and murkier. These juices are coming faster as the day goes on. 

1:05 PM: Focusing is a little hard for us

1:15 PM:  My stomach feels weird and hurts a little. I like to think it’s the cleanse having to work extra hard because of all the junk I’ve been eating. Day dreaming about the first meal off this cleanse...

2 PM - 1 cupof water: Going to take it easy on this one. I already drank 6 cups of water today and I’m still working on both Juice #2 and #3 so maybe I’ll just sip some hot water instead.

2:27 PM: Omg that was awful. I walked outside to get some decaffeinated lemon herbal tea and the two microwaves in the break room outside my door are making popcorn. Three people are standing around eating small bags of popcorn, I LOVE POPCORN. I had to breathe through my nose the entire time I was out there. Before I walked out there I was feeling pretty good, like hey, maybe I could do this for another day. Now I’ve let the smell of popcorn in the room and feeling not as sure.

3:03 PM: Still feeling full and working on Juices #2 and #3, so I’ll postpone Juice #4 for now till I feel ready to drink it. Maybe I’ll finish off my last cup of water now at least.

5:50 PM - Roots 1: Just returned home a.k.a. “the land of temptation” and in the mood for some roots! This earthy tasting drink is made of beet, carrot, kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, and celery with only 100 calories per bottle! 

Here’s the remaining juices left!

7 PM - Greens 3: I just drank half of this because I got really full. It was good though! I think I need to pee again...

8 PM - Chlorophyll h2o: This just tasted like water! Did they just dye this green??

8:30 PM - Vanilla Almond: I’ve been looking forward to this ALL DAY. Ya it tastes like ice cream in a bottle like the website says. But ya, keep in mind this is consumed after all day of drinking low calorie stuff. One of these probably is half the calories I’ve consumed today, no joke. (420 calories for the whole bottle.) Also my roommate brought home Chinese food and I just want salt now :(

10 PM - “Before Bed” Aloe Vera h2o to drink 1.5 hrs before bed:This kind of tasted like my water when I throw chia seeds in there. But I started thinking about all the food I would eat tomorrow!

Overall I’m proud of myself as I know my willpower is pretty shitty. Watching TV with food commercials at night was difficult. I think I could do this again, but I probably wouldnt do it for more than a day unless I was constantly moving. And/or not around a ton of food. 

[gotnotimeforfat]

Baby Got Back: 6 Ways To Create The Booty Of Your Dreams

http://elitedaily.com/women/6-steps-achieving-booty-dreams/1003771/

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Avocado Pudding | Minimalist Baker Recipes

Creamy, thick, nutritionally-dense chocolate avocado peanut butter pudding! Just 6 ingredients, naturally sweetened with dates and banana, and so delicious.

I need this in my life. Avocados please go on sale again.

[gotnotimeforfat]

Meal Planning for the Week

My Week in Meals:

Sunday Dinner: Stir fry tofu, onions, and kale

Monday Lunch: Squash and zucchini on top of whole grain pasta with mushroom tomato sauce and a slice of american cheese Monday Snacks: Corn on the cob, strawberries, banana Monday Dinner: 2 poached eggs and an avocado

Tuesday Lunch:  Squash and zucchini on top of whole grain pasta with mushroom tomato sauce and a slice of american cheese Tuesday Snacks:  Corn on the cob, strawberries, banana Tuesday Dinner:  Stir fry tofu, onions, and spinach baby kale mix

Wednesday Lunch: TEAM LUNCH :D Wednesday Snacks:  Corn on the cob, mango, banana Wednesday Dinner: 2 poached eggs and an avocado

Thursday Lunch:  Squash and zucchini on top of whole grain pasta with mushroom tomato sauce and a slice of american cheese Thursday Snacks:  Corn on the cob, mango, banana Thursday Dinner:  Stir fry tofu, onions, and kale

Friday Lunch: WORK SPONSORED LUNCH :D Friday Snacks:  Corn on the cob, mango, banana Friday Dinner:  2 poached eggs and an avocado

I also have 2 greek yogurts, extra bananas, and 3 extra eggs. Breakfast is whatever I feel like and I have a ton of snacks at work. Trying to make sure I’m getting in fruits, vegetables, and protein every day. May switch up the dinners with the lunch to keep me fuller in the afternoon. 

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30 DAY AB AND SQUAT CHALLENGE

Link: http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/30-day-ab-squat-challenge/

My Guy and I finished the 30 Day Beach Body Challenge (yay) and feeling pretty good. So Guy picked the next one because dat ass and dat abs. We modified it for planks though. Oh god.

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I bought  a pineapple...

... so I can make this

http://detoxinista.com/2013/02/pineapple-whip/

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I Love Chocolate

This is not a secret. I’ve eaten an entire bag of PB M&Ms and half a bag of crispy M&Ms this week. I ALSO had pieces of a 75% dark chocolate Godiva bar and an 85% bar as well. (I have figured out my ideal bar would be 80%.)

 This is not the food gotnotimeforfat is made of... or is it? So here are 2 recipes I found (and cant wait to try when I get home) that might pack a little more nutrition that a bag of M&Ms do:

Chocolate Banana Creme Brulee

Link: http://immaeatthat.com/2014/09/04/blog-brulee-chocolate-banana-creme-brulee/

Ingredients: 1/2 c milk, 1 c full-fat greek yogurt, 1/3 c chia seeds, 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 large thinly sliced banana, 3 tbsp sugar, divided.

Instructions: In a bowl, combine milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight.Pour chilled chia seed pudding into a blender and blend until smooth. Divide pudding evenly between ramekins.Turn on your broiler. Top chia seed creme brulee with banana slices. Sprinkle ~1 tablespoon sugar over each. Broil until bubbly and crisp. Or use one of those awesome fire torch things. Refrigerate until cold.

Yields: 3 6-oz Ramekins 

Chocolate Chiaseed Superfood Pudding

Link: http://tasty-yummies.com/2014/02/20/chocolate-chia-seed-superfood-pudding-gluten-free-and-vegan/

Ingredients: 1 1/4 c unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond/coconut), 1/4c chia seeds, 3 tbsp raw cacao powder, dash of himalayan sea salt, 1 tbsp organic maple syrup or raw honey, dark chocolate shaving for garnish

Instructions: Add all of the ingredients to a large glass jar with a lid, give it a quick stir, then put the lid on. Shake it like crazy to mix it all up. Refrigerate until very thick and pudding-like, at least 4 hours or overnight, shaking or stirring occasionally. Serve the pudding chilled with whatever topping you’d like. 

[gotnotimeforfat]

Habits

When I read blogs, articles, and advertisements relating to health, one word pops out at me. Habits. "10 HABITS OF THIN PEOPLE" or "ROUTINES HEALTHY PEOPLE MAINTAIN". So I figure I probably should get some of these "habits" people are talking about. I read things and consider the ones I like or make senses. Here's my list of the ones that stuck:

1. Moisturize every day and make sure you wear sunscreen. It takes 2 minutes to put on. My mom has nice skin and I inherited her nice skin too. However, I love being in the sun, hence my freckles. But now that I'm getting old, gotta put that sunscreen moisturizer on. Especially in the winter months when the air is dry! A night, I apply the Mary Kay Night Solution and during the day, it's opposite, the Daytime Solution.

2. Drink a whole bottle of water first thing when you wake up. You sweat in your sleep and need to hydrate first thing in the morning. Then wait a little, wiggle around, and... you know. Be regular. That's important. I got this tip from Cameron Diaz from an interview she gave Cosmo. Additionally, I just bought some chia seeds to add to my water in hopes it'll cut down on my snacking and help me with my protein which I'm severely lacking. 

3. Drink half your weight in ounces throughout the day. I picked this one up from Lauren Conrad's site and it makes sense. However, I think it's best to drink half your weight in ounces AT LEAST. Add AT LEAST another cup for good measure. 

4. Move a little bit every day. I'm not saying I run everyday at the moment (because it is too freaking cold!) but do something small like some pushups or abs. I read somewhere that a bad workout is better than NO work out :) The key to getting fit is consistency!

I'll probably add more later as I start adopting more habits. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day!

[gotnotimeforfat]

Top 10 Clean Eating Recipes

Another great site for lunch ideas!

http://www.topinspired.com/top-10-clean-eating-recipes/