For high school teachers and other educators needing a healthy, energetic body to keep up with the demands of a hectic career that doesn’t end at 5:00 pm, creating an imbalance in their health, family relationships, and recreational time: Julia McIntyre - Fierce Mind and Body promises to help you focus not only on your health and fitness, but to realign your priorities and achieve balance.
You know how some meals just lend themselves to Sundays? This is one of them. When I put this on my meal plan, though, I hadn't really fully thought this out, and I scheduled it for a Monday evening.
I guess it was just Providence, then, that we had some ice that morning, and the superintendent called off school! Yay! Snow day!
You know, I feel conflicted about snow days; I'm terrified to drive in winter weather, mostly because of a pretty severe car accident I was in when I was 19. It works out for me (most of the time) that, being a teacher, "weather" means I don't have to go to work. However, most of the rest of the world DOES, including my handsome husband, and he DRIVES for a living, which scares the pants off of me!
Anyway, on this particular Monday, he made it home safely, so I made him THIS for dinner:
Clean Salisbury Steak and Gravy. This is PERFECT for a cold winter day. It's hearty, flavorful, filling, and good for you! But it DOES take some time. I think from beginning to end, it took me about and hour and fifteen minutes. That's probably why I say it is a better Sunday meal; I just have more time to cook on Sundays!
Heat oil in a large pan. Add onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
When onions begin to brown and soften, and 1/4 c. broth. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan with a lid, and continue cooking, slowly adding in more broth as it cooks down.
Cook for 25-30 minutes until onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally and adding more broth.
Stir in flour or tapioca starch and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add remaining broth, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, garlic, dried onions, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, Mrs. Dash, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
2) While onions are caramelizing, make the steaks:
Mix all ingredients except oil in a large bowl with your hands
Make 4 oval-shaped patties
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat
Add patties and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes per side
Set aside until gravy is ready
I had to make four patties... and then one little baby patty. Oops!
3) After gravy has simmered for 10 minutes, add patties to pan and cover, simmering for about ten more minutes.
4) Serve over brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat egg noodles. I added steamed veggies, but this would also go well with a salad!
Oh, the holidays. People either love them or hate them. Whether it is enthusiastically or begrudgingly, people are BUSY this time of year! Between the charity events, shopping for gifts, company holiday parties, and get-togethers with friends and family, this is probably the most challenging time of year to stay on track with your health and fitness goals. Even if you have already achieved your goal weight, the LAST thing you want to do is to pack on an extra ten pounds that you will have to lose AGAIN in the new year! Here are my ten tips for staying on track this holiday season:
1. Follow the 80/20 rule. I am not a saint. You probably aren’t, either. I think it is defeating and nearly impossible to ask someone to eat 100% clean 100% of the time. We are only human! However, I think it is much more realistic for people, myself included, to eat very well 80% of the time, and to allow the other 20% to be indulgences. Now, in a perfect world, you are already at your goal weight, and you are using this idea to MAINTAIN your weight. But maybe you aren’t at your ideal weight; what does that mean? Follow the 80/20 rule anyway. At the very least, you will maintain your current weight through the holidays, and you won’t have an EXTRA 10 lbs to lose come January. The BEST case scenario is that you even lose a few pounds!
But what does the 80/20 rule look like in practice? Sure, it’s easy enough to SAY that, but how do you know you aren’t really doing 70/30, or 60/40? There are really two ways you can figure it, and that depends upon whether you track your calories or you make a meal plan.
If you count your calories, you can figure that 20 percent of your DAILY or WEEKLY calories can be used for indulgences - candy, cookies, alcohol, bacon-wrapped smokies, cheese dip, etc. So if your daily calorie intake for weight loss is 1500 calories per day, you can figure that 300 calories can be used for indulgences. The other 1200 calories should be PIOUS. If you are figuring weekly, you can have a total of 2100 indulgence calories per week (based on 1500 calories per day X 7 = 10,500 calories per week X 20%). Maybe you eat all of those indulgence calories in one day, and you are, in fact a SAINT the rest of the week.
If you are meal planning, this is a little different. You can either choose one day as an indulgence DAY (again, I don’t usually recommend a whole cheat DAY for weight loss; I usually recommend a cheat MEAL once per week; but c’mon people, let’s be real: it’s the holidays!), or you can have 6-8 small indulgences throughout the week. Remember that if you are making a clean eating meal plan, you are eating 5-6 small meals per day, usually about 300 calories each. Make sure you indulgences are calorically equivalent to a normal healthy meal you would eat.
2. Get your workouts in. I know this can be difficult this time of year because we are all just so
BUSY. It’s not called the holiday “hustle and bustle” for nothing! But you have to offset the extra indulgences of the season, #1, and #2, the holidays are STRESSFUL! Exercise EATS stress. Make work outs a priority because you need them.
Schedule your workouts for a time when you are least likely to be interrupted; for some people, that’s five AM. For me, it’s after work, but before my husband gets home.
Also, if you think you are going to be running around like a madwoman on the weekends, with parties, gift-buying, and preparation for all the events, make sure you get your workouts in through the week. On Sunday, set a goal for how many workouts you are going to get in that week. Schedule them; put them in the calendar on your phone. Then act like they are appointments with your BOSS. You can’t miss them, reschedule them, or move them around. Everything else in your schedule will have to be worked out around your workouts!
3. Pre-eat. This is for parties, dinners, or other events where there will be food of questionable healthiness. The WORST thing you can do is to show up famished! When I do this, I have NO CONTROL. I just eat everything in sight, and in large quantities. So make sure that you are satisfied before you ever show up! Make sure to eat something with a healthy balance of protein and carbs; some good examples would be plain Greek yogurt with fruit, a half a turkey sandwich and an apple, or a bowl of oatmeal and raisins made with almond milk. That way, you can still enjoy some of the food there, but you won’t be so hungry that you can’t make good choices. Which brings me to my next point:
4. Drink your Shakeology. The whole point of Shakeology is not to lose weight; it is to supply your body with the nutrients it needs to operate at its highest level of performance. When your body gets the nutrients it needs, cravings are eliminated. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is when you are faced with chocolate fudge cheesecake and White Castle dip, especially after a stressful day of forcing teenagers who DESPERATELY need a snow day to sit down long enough to take a test. Shakeology can help you choose crudites and cheese cubes instead. For me, it gives me the energy I need to race around like a maniac, battle mall parking lots, make a fruit tray for the party, and still write a blog post ;)
5. Swap a carb for an alcoholic beverage. If you KNOW you are going to be having an adult beverage or two at a gathering, be proactive during the day. Swap out a carbohydrate, especially a starchy one like a potato, rice, or bread, in favor of the vodka soda you will have later. Make a short-term sacrifice so that you can have long-term results.
Pick the ONE thing. You know what I mean. The ONE thing, out of all the food on the table at the party, that you want more than all the rest. Maybe it’s a piece of pie, or some decadent baked brie. Figure out what that ONE THING is, and have that. Fill in the rest of your meal with veggies, fruit, and lean protein. Then sit down, close your eyes, and savor that indulgence
7. Take it to work. You know what I love? Oatmeal raisin cookies. And you know what else? I make some pretty incredible ones. Sometimes, just nothing else will do. So I go ahead and I make a batch. I eat two of them right out of the oven. Then, I pack up the rest and take them to work. Or I give them to my friend Robin who loves them as much as I do (he won’t share, so don’t ask. He eats ALL of them). I can’t eat them if they aren’t in the house. I get what I really want without destroying all of my hard work.
8. Send the leftovers home with your guests. If you are the one hosting, you will likely have a variety of foods for your guests that don’t usually fit into your eating plan. That’s fine; you are supposed to be a good hostess! But think of the danger of what happens AFTER everyone goes home: you still have half a dozen black forest cupcakes sitting in your fridge. Guess what you can’t stop thinking about?
Enjoy your party, have your indulgence, but plan ahead. Buy some cute (and disposable) to-go containers before hand, and as guests start leaving, insist that they pack up some doggy bags.
Have a fast-food strategy. Okay, I am not a proponent of fast food, but I’m also a realist. This is a crazy-hectic time of year! Sometimes, despite our best attempts to plan, we are stuck in situations that leave us cruising through a drive-thru. Instead of denying the possibility of this happening, be proactive. Think about the three fast-food joints closest to both your house and your job. Scope out their menus online, and choose the healthiest options for around 300 calories. Do this after you have already eaten, so you are not driven by hunger. Then, store your menu choices in the notes section of your smart phone. That way, the next time you find yourself being asked “Do you want fries with that?”, you have prepared yourself to refuse.
10. Know what you’ll order before hand. The holidays also lend themselves to many meals out. Find out where you are going ahead of time. Look up the menu online, and, much like with fast-food, come up with a plan BEFORE you are famished. At restaurants, ask politely for no oil, butter, or croutons; sauce and dressing on the side; and for veggies to be steamed and not sauteed. Most restaurants are used to this, and while the server might go back into the kitchen and roll her eyes, if you leave her a 20% tip, she’ll get over it (I can say this because I WAS that server, for a lot of years). Not EVERY meal out should be an indulgence meal.
You don’t have to give up on your goals just because the holidays have come around. You are not destined to have to make losing weight your New Year’s resolution AGAIN. With a little forethought and planning, you could even be down a few pounds!
Do you have any questions about how to survive the holidays unscathed? Find me on Facebook and shoot me a message; I’m happy to help.
You travel for work.
You want to eat clean, and you know you need to eat 5-6 times per day. But there is no mini-fridge at the hotel your secretary booked for you. Also, along with your purse, carry-on, laptop bag, and cell phone, you don't have another hand to carry a mini-cooler, even one that looks like a cute handbag. Did you collect all the bags you were carrying after you went through airport security? Um, yes; it was a shoe that you have forgotten...
Or...
You're a teacher.
There IS a mini-fridge in the teacher's lounge... on the other side of the building from any room in which you actually teach. And by the way, you teach in four different rooms all day. You already push around a squeaky cart with your laptop, a plastic crate full of handouts, a paper box full of copies of Of Mice and Men, and a ten-foot tall stack of research papers that you lie to yourself about having a chance to grade during your planning period. There is no room on this squeaky cart for your mini cooler holding your yogurt and berries, and even if there was, by the time you got to eat it, your yogurt would be warm and possibly rancid... gross.
Or...
You are on a road trip with your husband and your three children. By the time you've packed the car with everyone's luggage, toys, two car seats, and a Pack-N-Play, you have room for a small cooler... full of juice boxes and Lunchables (because right now, that is all your three-year-old will eat)...
I hear ya! Clean eating is a struggle! Really, it's a process. First, you learn to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours (maybe regardless of what it is you are eating). Then, it's figuring out which snacks work for you, and when. And then... refrigeration is an issue. This comes up more than you might think, and if it hasn't come up for you yet, just wait; your time will come.
Here, I have compiled a list of clean snacks that do not require a refrigerator. Please note that not all of these will work in all situations; some require hot or cold water, or a bowl and a spoon. Use what works best for you!
#1: Oatmeal
I am not talking about the instant pre-made oatmeal packets with a bunch of strange chemicals and flavorings. Yuck! You can make your own simply and quickly, and then all you need is some hot water or water and a microwave. Most hotels, even if they don't have a mini-fridge, will have a microwave nearby.
Anyway, here is one of my favorite recipes:
1/2 cup oats (not instant)
3 T raisins
1 T chopped pecans
dash pumpkin pie spice
dab of honey for sweetening
I make these up when I do my meal prep on Sunday. I measure all the ingredients out into baggies (except for the honey; I keep a little mini-container in my bag and add it when I heat the oatmeal), and then I can just toss one into my purse in the morning. The downside is that this does require a bowl (or a coffee mug) and a spoon, and a microwave. But if you have access to these things, this can be a great snack. Sometimes I have even made it a meal, and it keeps me full for hours. I just add enough hot water to cover the oatmeal, stir, and pop it into the microwave for about 2-3 minutes.
#2: Homemade Trail Mix
I made this for the first time last week. Amazing! I think I will always keep a baggie of this in my purse for emergencies. Again, I just made up a bunch of these during my meal prep. It is also easy to eat this on the go: while driving, walking, grading, teaching...
Also, I think many variations can be made on this recipe. You could use different nuts, different types of dried fruit or seeds; you could even add some unsweetened coconut flakes or dark chocolate chips! I think I'm going to try that next time, but this is the recipe I made last week:
(In each baggie)
4 dried apricots
1 T chopped walnuts
2 t. pumpkin seed kernels
1 T raisins
#3: Fruit and nuts:
Any whole piece of fruit travels well and doesn't need refrigeration. Add a scant handful of nuts for some protein. Here are some of my favorite combinations:
Apple and almonds
Orange and cashews
Banana and walnuts (so I hear; I don't like bananas)
Pear and pistachios
Nectarine or peach and cashews
Plum and pecans
The possibilities are endless!
#4: Popcorn, nuts and raisins:
You can make these little baggies up ahead of time, too! The raisins make a sweet surprise with the saltiness of the popcorn.
#5: 1/2 a nut butter sandwich:
If you know you will only be gone for the day, this travels well. Natural nut butter usually needs to be refrigerated, but it will be okay for the day. I like natural peanut butter on a slice of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread, or almond butter sandwiched between two rice cakes (but I will admit this can be awkward to eat in front of your students).
#6: Larabars:
These little bars are lifesavers for me. I make sure there is always at least one in my purse; you know, for those times you are trapped at Home Depot for three hours, or a meeting goes late and you are so hungry you can FEEL your blood sugar crashing. I like that these bars have very simple ingredients: fruit and nuts. They taste good, travel well, and take the abuse of living at the bottom of my purse with no ill side effects. They also come in about a thousand flavors. My favorite are the apple pie, cherry, pie, and chocolate chip brownie. No fridge necessary!
#7: Shakeology
I absolutely agree that Shakeology tastes best when it is made in a blender with at least water and ice. However, sometimes, you don't have that luxury. I keep a shaker bottle, bottle of water, and Shakeology packet in my car. If I am down to the choice of either going through a drive through or eating my own arm, I can mix up a shake in about 30 seconds. It satisfies me until I can get to something healthier and I can avoid french fries that have 17 items in the ingredients list.
I hope this helps you with your meal and snack planning. I think the most important thing is to be prepared. If you know you are going to be running around like a crazy person, plan for it!
I'm a bad coach.
It's been a minute since I've blogged... but you know what? Life happens! You get busy. You get overwhelmed. So is the ebb and flow of life... sigh.
I'm sorry. As it is with many teachers, fall is a tough time of the year. There is so much work to be done, and so little time. My dad has always said to me, "Did you do the best you could?" To which I would always give a positive reply, because I really do always try my best. "Then that's all anyone can ask of you."
I love that man.
Anyway, P90X3! P90! Holy Beachbody, Tony! Let me get back on track.
I haev had P90X3 sitting on my shelf for months. I bought it about the same time I injured my neck back in May, and then I was sidelined for nearly two months. From ALL exercise.
Let's talk about torture.
When I could get back to exercising, PiYo had just been released, and I thought that would probably be best for me considering I was coming off an injury. And it was! PiYo was incredible for me. I developed muscle definition like I have never had in my life.
I knew P90 was coming out in September, and I knew I had a gap between finishing PiYo and launching P90, so I dusted off the ol' P90X3 and went to work.
Yes, these workouts are 30 minutes long, but please don't get it twisted; I work my butt off! I chose the Lean Schedule, because, well, who doesn't want to be lean? So here I will discuss what the first block looks like:
Accelerator - Calories burned: 335
Think cardio intervals on crack! Each only lasts one minute, but you work at two different speeds. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, and I had to stop and catch my breath, then jump back in a couple of times,
Move that convinces me Tony has lost his mind: Donkey Kicks
No, not those sweet little one-leg pulses that work your butt. Think down on all fours, then kicking BOTH legs out behind you in a V. Once you get used to that crazy idea, he basically adds a PiYo kick through to the end of the move. What?! But I WILL get it... you just watch!
The Warrior - Calories burned: 323
This is a routine that Tony has done on military bases across the world. It one minute rounds of circuits that work upper or lower body, cardio, then abs.
Move to Love: Fifer Scissor Twist
You lie on your back with one leg straight out and off the floor, and the other straight up. Extend both arms, the opposite arm of the "up" leg reaching for your ankle. When Tony tells you to, switch! You will definitely feel this in your abs.
X3 Yoga - Calories burned: 157
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is going to be easy. This IS P90X3 Yoga, after all. You get a half an hour of intense yoga sequences. No rest. My body loved it! After all the jumping, spinning, and pushing, it just felt good to STRETCH.
Favorite Move: Tree
Not gonna lie - this is just ME. I love tree pose; I always have. I think this is mostly because it is easy for me! I feel like I could stay there forever.
CVX: Calories burned: 400
This is a mix of cardio with light weights. This workout was my highest calorie burn all week. I like it because the moves are not impossible, but the weight add the necessary challenge to make this workout very effective. I HIGHLY recommend this workout after a stressful day or to relieve some pent-up aggression.
Fun One: Traveling Tire Twist
You hold the weight in your hands at waist level, and then you lift your knees in a high run as you twist at the waist, keeping the weight over the "up" knee. You mimic the high-knees-through-tires move. It's just fun!
Isometrix: Calories burned: 193
At the beginning of this workout, Tony explains that Isometrix is all the hardest parts of yoga. He is correct! You won't get an incredibly high heart rate, but you will sweat, you WILL be challenged, and you will feel it all over the next day. This involves strength, balance, and a lot of mental "I can DO this." Honestly, this is one of the most challenging workouts for me, but it is also one of my favorites.
WTF, Tony? Move: Bound Dog Leg Lift
Imagine downward facing dog. Got it? Okay. Now imagine taking your right hand and wrapping it around your left ankle while still in down dog. That's complicated enough, right? It gets better: then, you lift your left heel toward the sky. I can't get into this position to save my life right now, but I am determined!
Agility X: Calories burned: 363
If I had to choose between Isometrix and Agility X for my favorite workout so far, it would be very difficult because they are about as different as they can get. Agility X involves jumping, plyo, explosive movements, and some fancy foot work. It also involves taping marks on your floors, which I refuse to do to my BRAND NEW floors. So I faked it. I imagined tape, and just pushed as far as I could.
Move that proved something to me: Long Jump Sprint
It's just like it sounds. You take a deep squat and then jump as far as you can, and then sprint backwards to where you started, and do it again. I can jump so much farther than I ever thought I would be able to! I almost need a wider room. Woohoo!
I am really loving this workout. I intend to finish P90X3, but in the meantime, P90 has come out, and I want to try that, too! I may flip-flop back and forth until Insanity Max:30 comes out in December. Click HERE if you would like more information about that!
While doing P90X3, I felt okay with eating a little more food. The workouts are short but intense, and I didn't feel like I was starving nor eating too much. Here is one of my meal plans:
(leftover)Healthy
Chicken Parmesan and steamed spinach
(leftover)
honey apple pork and winter squash
(leftover)Healthy Chicken Parmesan and steamed
spinach
(leftover)
Sesame Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry w/ 2/3 c. brown rice
Leftovers
Shakeology
Snack
2 halos and cottage cheese
2
halos and cottage cheese
2
halos and cottage cheese
2
halos and cottage cheese
2
halos and cottage cheese
2
halos and cottage cheese
2
halos and cottage cheese
Dinner
Healthy
Chicken Parmesan and steamed spinach
Warm
Quinoa-Lentil Salad
Warm Quinoa-Lentil Salad
Sesame
Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry w/ 2/3 c. brown rice
Parmesan
crusted tilapia and broccoli
leftovers
Minestrone
Soup and clean crusty bread
Snack
Mediterranean
Deviled Eggs
Mediterranean
Deviled Eggs
Mediterranean
Deviled Eggs
Mediterranean
Deviled Eggs
Mediterranean
Deviled Eggs
Mediterranean
Deviled Eggs
Mediterranean
Deviled Eggs
I've come to realize that it doesn't really matter what workout you are doing, as long as you feel challenged and you enjoy it! So find what works for you. If you need help, I can point you in the right direction.
To be considered for my next challenge group, fill out the application.
I have a confession:
I LOVE Mexican food. I could probably eat it five times a week. I love everything about it, and I love ALL of it.
There. I feel better now.
Unfortunately, not all Mexican food is clean-eating friendly, but if you keep an open mind, there is plenty of it that IS.
When I hear the words TACO CASSEROLE, clean eating is not the first thing that comes to mind. But it's true! It's clean, yummy, super-easy, and your kids will eat it. Trust me on this one; if my husband will eat it, your kids will eat it.
Look at the ingredients for the Tostito's; I LOVE that it is a very short and easily understandable list!
This has become a go-to standard weeknight meal in our household. It makes plenty, and I almost always take some for lunch; it reheats well, and you can even layer up a casserole and freeze it to bake later or to take as a dish to someone who needs a helping hand, like a new mother or someone who has recently lost a family member. You don't have to tell them it's clean; it just tastes like comfort food.
Look, just don't tell the family that it is Greek yogurt. I promise, no one will know. It seriously tastes JUST like sour cream, and it has a kick of extra protein.
You will need:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
1 taco seasoning packet (read the labels; I like Trader Joe's or McCormick's)
8 oz jar of taco sauce (again, read the labels. Surprisingly, the Schnuck's brand is clean)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
chopped lettuce (optional)
1 c. plain Greek yogurt
8 oz clean cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups Baked Tostito's Scoops, broken into large pieces
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Brown turkey and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Drain off the liquid.
3. Add 1/4 c. of water and taco seasoning. Cook until water cooks off.
4. Add entire jar of taco sauce and simmer until warm.
5. In a 8 X 8 baking dish, layer:
-1/2 of crunched up chips
-meat mixture
-thin layer of Greek yogurt
-1/2 of cheddar cheese
Do that twice.
6. Heat in oven for 15 minutes.
7. Top with lettuce, tomato, or anything else clean that you like on your Mexican food!
I usually serve this with a salad or green beans. So good!
