It's a GOOD Friday! xoxoxo

Happy Good Friday. I hope all of you have a lovely day and are ready for the weekend and have a lot of fun plans or just want to veg out and that's OK too! 

I had a great workout yesterday. Burned 1400+ cals. My lower back is somewhat tender this week. I have had issues with it before and have even ended up in the ER because of it. I think it is partly due to the weight I carried and also not being careful. We think we're invincible in our 20's and all it takes is lifting something wrong ONE time and we are down for the count and will always have some trouble if we aren't careful. I was a nanny through my 20's and I think lifting children and piggy backs and other fun things is part of the reason. I have stopped using free weights or weight machines a lot because of this and focus on Pilates and calisthenics and sometimes yoga for strengthening. And since I stopped the weights my back issues have gotten much better. Not sure what is going on this week....but I just need to baby it a smidge. :) The point of this is to listen to your body! I know if you are sick or in pain and can't work out like you usually do it gets frustrating. But it is very important to listen to your body or it will just delay the healing and have you "out of sorts" even longer. 

I had forgotten there was movie night at my son's school from 5:30-8:00. So I hit the gym and sweat hard and didn't have time to get a shower in. So there I was, sitting on the floor in the gym with my boys watching The Lorax, all sweaty and blech! It's a very cute movie and my boys had a great time. Walking to the car, my oldest said "This was a great day! Thanks for taking us here mommy!" So it was worth sitting in sweaty clothes for three hours to hear that! Though that shower I had when we got home was one of the best of my life. Right up there with those after having c-sections! :) And we won one of the raffle prizes. A Lorax floor puzzle which my little guy practically slept with. And the message from the movie was excellent. Taking care of our environment needs to be a priority or our children and their children are going to pay the price.

Alright..I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite products. To maybe help give you all some new ideas. I can't go into every single one right now but I will give you an idea of my favorites. 

I actually tried something yesterday that I am a huge fan of now. I am not a big fan of bottled juices as many of those that claim to be healthy use a lot of concentrated juices. While "concentrate" is not the Antichrist some think it is, the heating process to produce it does kill a lot if not all of the nutrients in the fruits and veggies inside. And it does bring out the sugars more. So it's a sugary fruit drink without the nutrients. No bueno! I didn't have time to eat before getting my boys out the door to school. So I grabbed an Odwalla berry smoothie. I looked at the ingredients and was really excited to see it say "mango puree", blueberry puree, and " juice". No concentrate. And the label even says "Extremely perishable. Keep refrigerated" which makes you know there isn't anything in there to "prolong the shelf life" which is what concentrates are for. No GMO's. Full of vitamins and other good stuff. The Blueberry B is 210 calories for the bottle , 0 fat, 15 mg sodium and has 530mg of Potassium, 35% of Vitamin C, 530% Thiamin, 530% Riboflavin, 530% Vitamin B6, 530% Vitamin B12 and others. Awesome right?? A lot of the smoothies and juices are even lower in calories. And if that wasn't awesome enough, the bottle is up to 100% plant based recyclable. Called a "Plant bottle" Many are gluten free and vegan too! You can check the website for the products and find where they are sold near you. They are a little on the expensive side but if you don't have a juicer and don't have access to a juice bar, they are great (and less expensive than the juice bars!!) Woo Odwalla! Go on with yer bad self! http://www.odwalla.com/

I also love the Joseph's brand flax, oat bran and whole wheat tortilla. I use them with hummus, put almond butter and honey on for a quick, running out the door breakfast and really as a wrap for anything I need to wrap! Each one is 70 calories and 1.5 grams of fat, 6g of fiber and 7g of protein and is a good course of Omega-3's. They have a ton of other products but my favorite are those tortillas and have been for about 5 years. Check them out! http://www.josephsbakery.com/c-10199-Tortillas

I am lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's. If you do then there are several staples I buy from there. One that has been a favorite and very versatile are the "Breaded Chicken Tenderloin Breasts". Each one is 110 calories and 4g of fat. They aren't as ideal and natural as making your own baked tenderloins but in a busy world they are a decent alternative. I cut them up, put in a bowl and mix with buffalo sauce and put on a tortilla with lettuce, tomato, etc for a lighter buffalo chicken wrap. I also put sauce and a little Parmesan cheese on them for a quick, lighter chicken parm. Or just give them to your kids to dip into sauce. My boys love them! And I buy a package of them every time I go. 

Another item at Trader Joe's that I love are the pre-packaged 96% lean hamburger patties. They are 150 calories and 5 grams of fat per patty. Already portioned out and ready to go. There are 4 per package. I put a little seasoning on them and put grill or broil them. Sometimes George Foreman them! lol! Though I am not a HUGE fan of that anymore as it makes things a little too dry. I use my George Foreman as a panini press too though! ;) But these hamburger patty's are helpful being pre-portioned and gives you an idea of what that sort of portion should look like. 

Another favorite item of mine is broccoli slaw. The brand I buy is Mann's but you might be able to find other brands at your local grocery store. I find it near the packaged salad section. It is so good and I often mix with some nuts, grilled chicken and a good sesame, ginger, Asian type dressing. There is an Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette from Trader Joes that is so good I could drink it straight from the bottle. As far as the Mann's Broccoli Slaw...1/4 of a package has 25 calories, 0 fat, 25mg of sodium, 3g of fiber and has 60% of Vitamin A, and 110% of Vitamin C! So you can eat a ton of it!! :) Check the website out. A ton of great recipes too! http://www.veggiesmadeeasy.com/

When I go to the grocery store, I always get fruit and veggies too. Whatever is in season and on sale works for me. My boys aren't picky about those things. I am a huge fan of the Fage Greek yogurt as well and often buy that for a quick breakfast. I buy the 0% and sprinkle a few nuts on it(walnuts or pecans are delish!) and drizzle some honey. So amazingly good! 

I hope this has been helpful in giving you all a few ideas. And also with the breaded chicken breasts, to make you realize you can make your own healthier versions of things and still have the same flavors which is a huge part of not feeling deprived. 

Have a beautiful Friday. Enjoy this Good Friday. I will leave you with the quote that can apply to so much and inspire! 

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not"  - Dr. Seuss, The Lorax. 

God Bless!
Tam