[kimkostecki]

Meat. It’s what’s for dinner.

Today I “meal prepped.” And by that I mean I cooked pork shoulder, chicken thighs, and skirt steak 🥩 that I bought from Whole Foods. Cooking meat is honestly one of my favorite things to do and i have gotten quite good at it.

If you have liked my blog over the following years (back when I was in peak shape) I highly recommend this recipe it’s a favorite to this day

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/simple-roasted-pork-shoulder-recipe-1923881

I like it better than the slow cooker because you get more of a crisp on the outside.

But it’s literally the simplest recipe, it’s good as a main dish, you can you use for tacos and sandwiches whatever floats your diet boat.

I have not weighed in this weekend, just figured that it’s probably not a great idea (holiday bloat) and will look to weigh in next weekend to hopefully have lost 2 pounds.

I am still loving orange theory. I have been attending consistently, and it may be having a slow and steady impact on my journey here but I think I am loving the mental benefits most of all.

It’s an hour set aside for me, just like my therapy sessions, it’s one hour all about me and my well being.

When you cater to everyone else’s happiness for a long time, you feel that dark blanket of depression. Taking care of yourself it’s not selfish, it’s necessary for survival so don’t let anyone, I mean anyone let you feel bad about it.

Guess what, I haven’t cleaned my house at all this week. Haven’t had company over, it’s fine, I’m busy. Relaxing, Christmas shopping and spending time with loved ones has been a priority. I know a lot of us grew up thinking our house needs to be perfect at all times (thanks Joanna Gaines) but it really doesn’t. Your home is for you. And if you enjoy it clean 24/7 good for you. If you don’t, also good for you (I fall into the later category).

I will get to the decorating and cleaning but one step at a time. And these past four days I just needed to unplug. Which 4 days is really not a lot of time in the scheme of things.

My Christmas shopping is done tho! Now if I can wrap everything by next weekend and just pop on the Netflix and wine I’ll be really happy.

So goals for next weekend, lose two pounds and wrap presents! That sounds doable 😁 oh and maybe clean a few rooms...we shall see.

[kimkostecki]

Tummy woes but still making goals

This week has been rough. Started off good with a Sunday workout, was excited for the gym Monday, but the I realized I forgot my shoes as soon as I got there (hasn’t been the first time) so rest day.

Tuesday I got myself organized, got my gym bag back together, had a salad at sweet green for lunch and went to pick up my puppy from doggy day care which is hindsight should have been my first sign because she was puking on the way out. I didn’t have anything to eat because wierdly I wasn’t hungry and I was busy making sure she was comfortable before I left for class. As Julia Roberts says:

In orange theory fitness you burn a lot of calories....you should always eat something before you go. Halfway through the class I felt really dizzy 😵 and decided to be a power walker for the rest of class.

About an hour after class I was puking my guts out...dog and I were confined to couch duty

So the days go by, stomach is still sore but Thursday night I go out which was another mistake and I’m glued to the toilet 🚽 all night.

Can I just say the worst part about being sick is food. I miss food. Food is like one of my favorite things in the planet (which is how I got into this mess on the first place). Never thought I’d say this but I am so sick of chicken noodle soup.

Thought I was feeling better yesterday so I weighed in, met my goal of losing 2 pounds this week despite or in spite of being sick. Did a light workout, by nighttime I was sick again (damnit).

So I definitely out of the gym circuit today, will see how tomorrow brings. I usually schedule my classes ahead of time because seatscan fill up, but there is hardly a full 8pm class so we will see how this goes.

Holidays are so easy to get sick by. You’re exhausted, run down and thanksgiving is worse than Christmas because you can’t quite slow down yet. But I am working on not caring so much, obviously still doing my job and doing it well but it’s not everything. Love, family, friends, puppies, health these are way more important.

Lets shoot for losing one pound by next week. With the holiday and sickness that seems like a realistic goal.

[kimkostecki]

Routine Test

I made it through my first week at orange theory fitness. Really enjoying the workouts and I believe I’m going to get the results I want. Burned like 2,400 calories this week! 

This week was great to start because I was working from home for essentially half of it (in the Baltimore for work for the other half). Which made me feel better going on this business trip because I worked out so much beforehand. 

Weighed in yesterday and lost like .3 pounds..which not too bad considering my diet this week. Hoping to shave off a few pounds by this Saturday.  

This week will really be the test here...I will be in the office all week which means I don't get home till 630 which means I got to drag my ass to 8 pm workout class for the next two nights in a row...

If I survive this week that means my routine is officially established! 

Now more than ever I really need to do this for me. I am so burnout from work and travel. I really need to make sure I am doing something for myself. Gotta keep up my mental health as well and make sure I’m doing my anxiety checks and exercises. 

Must be going around because after talking to some colleagues this week, everyone is feeling the stress and pressure. We came to the conclusion that we don't care that it is too early...we are all ready for Christmas (or holiday season). I am really wanting to see some f****in cheer lol. Bring on the joy, bring on the peace, love and warm fuzzies from a cup of hot cocoa and baileys. 

I don't care if its too early or the fact that thanksgiving hasn't happened yet but I am adding all the cheesy Christmas netflix movies to my que. Will we see a Christmas Prince 2???/ God I hope so.

[kimkostecki]

Day 1 again

Been here before that is no lie. But I am learning to make my self care a priority. Back up to the summer, the last time I posted here, my anxiety and stress started to climb and my depression became a little much. I was crying pretty much every day, during and after work for two weeks. I could not control my anxiety and I sought help. After taking an hour each week, I have made vast improvements. I am learning to cope with my anxiety and become more assertive. It has helped with my work and personal life immensely. It’s not something that is completely ever going to go away, but that is why it is important to keep working on it. 

I love my job, I love being good at it, I love being successful at it. But it shouldn't be the only thing. Because I am committed, I put my personal well being last and it has clearly taken a toll mentally, but also physically. Now that I have gotten a stronger handle on my mental well being I am working on the physical. 

After talking with my therapist, I realized I needed to do some “house cleaning.” I technically had 3 memberships, one to my crossfit gym, one to a 24 hour gym, and a class pack that I buy for yoga classes. Ironically the only thing I was still going to was yoga on Saturdays. Most likely because of the strong mental and physical benefits of it. 

I was clinging to my crossfit membership, the most expensive out of the three, mainly because it helped me so much in the past. But everytime I would think about going, I would open the app to sign up and the workout was the first thing you see. It just didn't sound fun anymore and the commute was too much. After a few attempts and sitting in bumper to bumper construction traffic, it did not feel worth it after an hour and half commute home. 

I had to let it go as Elsa says. 

After researching different gyms and talking to friends, I came to the decision to try Orange Theory Fitness. I tried a class a few years back and really liked it but I was going to a different crossfit gym at the time that was my thing and couldn't afford to do both. There is one like 10-15 minutes from my house, and I could go there when I travel for work too. 

I went the other day and absolutely loved it. It was challenging and felt great. And everyone was super nice and accepting. 

Don’t know if I will be doing it forever, but for now it feels like the right fit and thats most important. 

I plan on still doing yoga, because class packs don't expire. I could buy 10 and it lasts me like 4-5 months. 

And I am going to try to do a weightlifting class at a different crossfit gym once a week to keep my strength. Which was really my favorite thing about crossfit anyways. 

Healthy eating is still hard right now but that is part of my goal. Working out has made me crave and want healthy food, so that will come with time, but my overall goals are 1. Lose 20 pounds 2. Get more energy 3. Develop a consistent self care routine.

I know this post was a little more serious than how I usually write but it’s important to talk about. If you have anxiety or depression and have ever thought about getting help do it. Do it before it gets to be too much to handle. Call your insurance, they will cover most or all of it. Found mine through https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists 

It’s ok to put yourself first.  

[kimkostecki]

Shishhhhhito

Tried new things last night. I had shishito peppers with a friend at a restaurant recently and thought they were pretty dam good so I was pretty excited to see them at Trader Joe’s.

I got out my large pan and sautéed these suckers with a little olive oil, salt and pepper for about 11 minutes tossing frequently.

I also sautéed some mushrooms in a separate pan (don’t want to crowd the peppers) and cooked my pan fried chicken thighs. I ended up wrapping them in some prosciutto afterwards...well because...why not.

End result was Deliscous.

Down three pounds since last Thursday, clothes still a little tight but I’m getting there. I definitely feel better, more energized, more calm and aware of anxiety triggers. I’m really keeping that in check and feel like I’ve been doing a good job with that.

I’ll take that victory 😁🙌🏻.

[kimkostecki]

Frankie Says Relax

Just like making time to cook and work out, a friend recently told me it’s also important to schedule some time to relax. This is so you don’t go punching through a wall at your office or home like Andy here.

This weekend I was sure to do that. My boyfriend and I have a monthly membership at the Hand and Stone franchise and schedule monthly massages or facials. I recently read that lavender helps reduce anxiety so I asked for some aromatherapy added to my massage on Friday. I got home and slept like a rock.

I was energized and ready for Saturday and got a lot done around the house in preparation for our new pup arriving next week.

Food wise ate pretty good. Saturday I had a little pasta salad, and a flour tortilla with my taco for dinner with my fam (and a glass of red wine…and prosecco), but Sunday I was back on track with leftover skirt steak breakfast nachos for “brunch” (slept in to 11, can’t remember the last time I did that) and oven baked, dry-rubbed ribs for dinner.

Lunch today I threw together a simple salad with the last of my chicken, a little prosciutto, pineapple, avocado and cucumber on top of arugula. 

Also saw Jurassic World this weekend. Wasn’t as great as the first one, but was still a solid, fun movie. Which has been my consensus of most of the summer blockbusters so far.

[kimkostecki]

Eat more chicken.

Taking a note today from my favorite milkshake establishment. One of my favorite things to cook are chicken thighs because chicken breasts are gross and dry. Thighs are also way faster to cook and are just better…guess you can say I’m a “thigh” woman.

From my earlier posts you may have saw that I baked them a lot. I am now moving to pan searing them and I’m loving the crisp to these. All you need is a large pan, heated with olive oil, season the thighs with whatever you’d like, tonight I did just salt, pepper and a little chili limes seasoning form trader joe’s.

Then I sort of “smush them down” as I put them in the pan. Sear for 8 minutes on both sides, then I flip and cook for 2 more minutes. And that’s all. Less than 20 minutes! I also cooked up some mushrooms and red onions in some butter and seasonings as a side and had with some grapes.

And hey I PRed today at crossfit on my Snatch so there’s that! Why don’t I workout everyday? Seriously forget how good it feels (insert dirty joke). I want to slap past lazy Kim be like put the wine and ice cream down and go lift some weights! But here’s to looking at present and future.

Oh yeah go take a picture of a sunset. It’s freakin beautiful.

[kimkostecki]

When life gets you down, start making nachos.

As life changes, priorities change. These last few years I was adulting hard core. I bought a car, a new home and was advancing in my career. My job became my top priority and I worked my ass off. I ended up succeeding and received several promotions as I climbed my corporate ladder. Sadly, all this climbing cost me about 15 pounds of weight gain and frequent anxiety attacks.

After my recent vacation this week, I decided it’s time to put a stop to this. Working hard and having career goals is great, but it can’t be my sole obsession. Life is too short and I need some balance. Stress effects your relationships and your physical and mental health, all things that should be priorities.

So I decided to resurrect my beloved blog from the dead and get back to my original mission: living a happy and healthy life.

How do I begin though after such a long departure from my journey of PRs and paleo recipes? The answer: Nachos. Nachos fuel my soul. They became quite the vice for me and I loved them like I love the officer: my partner in crime,(…couldn’t help myself), mac and cheese…or wine…or the adorable Timothy Olyphant (seriously he is hysterical and good looking).

The beautiful thing about being healthy that I forgot is, you can make pretty much anything that you love! From scratch! So I cooked up my famous potato chips, sautéed some chopped celery, carrots and onion, scrambled an egg and cooked up some bacon. Threw it all together on a plate and then sprinkled some salsa verde with a spoon over the plate.

Pretty damn good. And versatile for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Cheers to the baseline. It’s good to be back.

[kimkostecki]

Taking in the view while volunteering in the gardens at the shedd aquarium #exelonvolunteers (at Shedd Aquarium)

[lizclimo]

#GymSelfie

[kimkostecki]

yeap!

[kimkostecki]

16 Slow-Cooker Dinners That Are Whole30-Approved

Ideas that are compliant and ready when you get home.

More slow cooker!!!

[kimkostecki]

As I’m writing this, it’s snowing (hey, #Niko!) and right before lunchtime, and I’m counting down the minutes until I can warm up these leftovers and have them for lunch. I won&#8…

I know what new recipe I am making this Saturday!

[kimkostecki]

As I’m writing this, it’s snowing (hey, #Niko!) and right before lunchtime, and I’m counting down the minutes until I can warm up these leftovers and have them for lunch. I won&#8…

Think I found what I am making for lunch Saturday!

[kimkostecki]

Fab Four!!

I have lost 4 pounds since the beginning of February and it feels great! Getting back into a workout routine and eating right has increased my energy (and at the same made me sleep better lol) and has just improved my overall mood. I still have rough days but it's great to now have a healthy outlet to release that frustration. I went back to the 7pm class after trying the 8pm class for a few weeks and think that the 7 might work better for my schedule. I get done earlier and still feel like I can accomplish things at home. It's nice to have the option for 8, as I am sure I will have days where I work late or forget to pack clothes, but I think I'm going to aim for 7. This week we are scarce on food lol. I did not grocery shop this weekend thinking I still had plenty to work with...plenty being all meat than sure. I had to throw out a ton of stuff that had gone bad (I hate it when that happens) so yesterday for lunch I had to get real creative. I had half a steak, a strawberry avocado salad (literally just strawberries and avocado...I seasoned with some Italian herbs), my last so Deliscous yogurt and an apple. Luckily I still have those RxBars so I had one for breakfast and one on the train ride home before workout. I ran to a grocery store on the way home from workout (last time I will be going there sadly...their stuff was not good looking at all) and just picked up some safe items like a bag of halos, a cucumber and a bag of baby carrots to tie me over until my boyfriend goes grocery shopping today. I baked some chicken thighs I had, you can never go wrong with heating some coconut oil adding some paprika salt and pepper and using a brush the lather the thighs. Do it quickly thought before the oil hardens again. And then I baked for 50 minutes at 350 flipping just once. Did not have time this weekend to learn a new recipe but maybe for lunch/breakfast Saturday. Thought for the day: if something is not working for you change it. Whether it be your routine, type of workout, diet, job or relationship. Don't just suck it up and be miserable. Change is possible, and do what is right is for you. Just because something works for somebody else, it might not work for you. Because if you don't enjoy or love your workout, chances are you are not going to be motivated to go and that will just get harder over time. At first your motivation to be healthier might get you there but after time that won't be enough. Make sure you're having fun!!

[kimkostecki]

Nom Nom Paleo's Michelle Tam Shares Her 8 Favorite Paleo-Friendly Recipes

#nomnomnom

[girlmeetsstrong]

“I’m a busy mama of 4 girls! Ain’t nobody got time to be a slave to the kitchen, be a master mathematician to nail Macro counting, or lifting in the gym for hours on end. •••• I dedicate ONE HOUR 4 times a week to Crossfit…. That’s it! I live a fun and healthy lifestyle where me and my girls get out and are active. ALL 5 of us base our life off a superfood nutrition system, making on-the-go runs doable for us.” -Amy Zucal @zucalicous 💪🏼 Photo @brayshawcreative #girlmeetsstrong #crossfit #nutrition #mealprep #inspiration

[kimkostecki]

love it!

[kimkostecki]

Raging Cajun

This week was off to a rough start, everyone in the world seemed to have president’s day off but me. I went to the gym after a 4-day rest period..I didn't mean to take 4 days in a row off...just kind of happened (ok a slight addiction to Seven Deadly Sins on netflix happened). Yesterday was a cardio intensive workout and i felt super nauseous after. I sucked hardcore, was the last one to finish but I did it. My coach cheered me on and was doing burpees with me.

Today was much better. I wasn't as dizzy and kept moving. I might have looked like a spastic mess but that is me. I am a little scrappy. 

Sunday i cooked that andouille sausage dirty (cauliflower rice) recipe i posted earlier, here it is again

http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2014/04/cauliflower-dirty-rice-with-andouille.html?m=1

It turned out pretty good and was very tasty. I got the sausage from whole foods, and luckily had most of the other ingredients at home. I will say that it took like twice as long to reduce the broth for me. 

This made a lot of portions, filled about 5 of my meal prep containers. Its also super filling :) which is great for my long work day. 

I pair it with a strawberry cucumber salad, bring my so delicious yogurt and some tangerines. Still have my RxBars for breakfast which is a lifesaver. 

We also got some pork shoulder that we slow cooked on Sunday so I have been eating that for dinner before workouts...i am also really addicted to pistachios...which i call stachios...

I want to end tonights note with this life observance. Be nice to others, be inviting, if someone looks lost or left out go talk to them. Whether you're at work  talking to our coworker about going out for drinks, at a party or hanging with your buds at workout just be mindful of others. You might be leaving someone out. So be welcoming when you can :). We got to encourage and look after each other.