Goodnight....sleep tight! :)

Hi here! Happy Saturday! 

Hope you all have had a nice start to your weekend. Mine begins today at 5 when I'm off work! Of course those of us in the U.S. have Thursday to look forward to as an extra "off" day. 

Yesterday, I was a smoothie freak. I just don't want heavy meals when it's humid out. I had a coconut milk, banana, frozen peach and frozen berry (with a dash of cinnamon) smoothie for breakfast. And I had my "snuggle up/sleepy time" smoothie for dinner. I have not had the tart cherry juice earlier in the day. As it does contain melatonin, I'm afraid it will make me sleepy all day. I do have to say within a couple of hours of drinking that smoothie, I do get very heavy-lidded. Not just tired but I literally cannot keep my eyes open. I can't say I've ever had a huge problem sleeping but I do seem to be getting better quality sleep. Or maybe it's all in my head! ;) I think I may kick my smoothie up a notch by adding some nutmeg and maybe a little honey on occasion. Honey contributes to the release of melatonin and nutmeg can soothe and relax muscles and induce sleep. The original recipe does call for soy milk which is high in tryptophan. I might start using that though I seem to do well with the coconut or almond milk. 

To feel more awake during the day after hopefully having a good nights sleep, eat a lot of super foods like swiss chard, kale, spinach, quinoa! Throw the greens in a smoothie with chia seeds. Voila! Along with getting fresh air when you can, staying hydrated (I mean this!! DRINK YOUR WATER!!), eat breakfast, eat better afternoon snacks (try fruit, yogurt, nuts and seeds) and make sure to eat healthy fats.  All of this can help you feel more awake and more importantly, alert. And you may not need coffee at all! 

I'm in such a cooking mood. I love to cook in general but getting inspired always helps. I eat so healthy but I do indulge and when I indulge (or even when I eat healthy), I like things to taste really good! Go figure. Flavor rules! haha! Who wants to eat sucky, boring food all the time? The great thing is with the abundance of awesome ingredients at our fingertips, we can create amazing meals, whether on the healthy side or indulging. And you don't have to feel like utter crap after indulging. I think buffalo chicken is one of my favorite things. I've often made my own version of a buffalo chicken wrap. And it tastes just like one at a restaurant but a lot better for you. And when I attend parties I bring buffalo chicken dip a lot. I often put 1/3 less fat cream cheese, 2% sharp cheddar, lighter dressing, etc...and you really cannot tell a difference. Having the ability to adjust recipes accordingly is fantastic! Especially regarding salt! 

And I love The Barefoot Contessa aka Ina Garten for recipes. All of them are amazing! I've had several people tell me her baked shrimp scampi is outstanding. All her recipes are real, good, amazing dishes. And if you are going to indulge and need a good recipe, check out any of hers! The woman has skills! :) 

Alright, time to get up and around. Gotta be all girly and wash and straighten my hair..though with the humidity and rain coming, I imagine I'll be curly again soon!! haha!! 

I was looking through old photos of J.T. Honestly, can a kid be more photogenic. I miss his crazy hair! His entire head is cowlicks and I just let them be free. I've called it "Cool dude" hair! And he's always been the happiest kid. Laughing all the time :) Can't believe he will be 7 in November!! 

"I understand about indecision, but I don't care if I get behind. People livin' in competition. All I want is to have my peace of mind" - Boston (Having a good nights sleep and energy and being alert during the day helps with peace of mind!! LOL!) 

xoxoxo
Tam

Let Yourself Arrive....and Celebrate!

Up, drinking my coffee. Ahhh, those first few sips! Heavenly! 

My friend Shellie uses the french press. And I thought I was badass grinding my own beans for my coffee in the morning. The french press kicks butt! 

Yesterday, I woke up feeling assy. It was one of those "Sleep really hard and wake up directly from a dream and head and eyes hurt all day" things. Not sure if anyone can relate. It doesn't happen often but it does kind of set the tone for the day and I'm never quite as awake as I want to be. The work day flew by though. It was crazy busy! 

I ate some good stuff yesterday. I got to work at 9 and ate there for breakfast. I had a banana and a bunch of nuts (almonds, cashews and macadamia) and jasmine green tea. There is a little store that is next to the office I was working at yesterday and they always restock the jasmine green tea for me! haha! :) Lunch, I had some broccoli slaw with a bit of lettuce in there too and grilled chicken, shredded carrots, broccoli, cucumber and an Asian dressing. A few sunflower seeds in there too. And dinner I had some rotisserie chicken and asparagus. I did make my "night time/sleep well" smoothie too with the tart cherry juice. My oldest kept asking for more chicken and blueberries. He is a healthy eater! I love it. When I'm working a long day and don't have a ton of time to cook when I get home, rotisserie chicken and veggies works! :) And my boys love popcorn so I made some of that for them to munch on later on too. 

I was thinking about what it means to arrive at a goal or to reach a specific destination regarding health and fitness. The thing is I don't think any of us ever reach a point and say "OK, that's great. I'm perfect!" lol! We are the best at picking ourselves apart and never being happy with what we see in the mirror. So many people I know are saying "I've lost a lot and my fat % has gone way down and I feel great but I'm just not happy yet". I have felt too skinny and even had people saying it for awhile. It really does seem like no matter which way you are, someone (often yourself) will have a problem with it. The key to this is realizing that perfection lies in the imperfections. I know that is a weird thought but I truly believe it. I have parts I don't like and wish I could change but at the end of the day what are you gonna do? I've accomplished a lot and proud of that and no matter what I do there will always be something I want to change. 

I think a huge part of success in health or weight maintenance is not trying to be "skinny" but rather focusing on "healthy". The number on the scale does not determine health. And it really does make so many women obsess and just miserable. And by focusing on the added benefits from being healthy...living longer with more quality of life, sleeping better, more energy, etc....you will realize that what you're doing of have done is amazing and don't sell yourself short. And please stop striving for perfection. Also, let yourself get there. Let yourself reach a goal and congratulate yourself for it. It's fine to have other things you want to accomplish but by allowing yourself to reach a goal and allow yourself to feel GOOD, it will do much more for your brain which often takes a lot longer to change! ;)

Look at this. Looks so good! Seared chicken with avocado. YUM! Here is the recipe from The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans! lol!! Seared Chicken with Avocado

Have a lovely day! Here is my oldest and I goofing off with the webcam on Monday! Love the gap in his teeth right now! :) xoxo

 He wanted me to be a Power Ranger!! haha! 

And because I miss Game of Thrones already I have to watch this. He was only on a few episodes in season 2...but I still have a huge crush on Jaqen H'ghar! Has to be one of the coolest characters! :) 

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" - Jesus of Nazareth

xoxoxo

Tam

Gotta talk about it!

Hi guys!!

It's barely 6 am. I've had my 24 ounces of water already and drinking coffee. My morning routine. I know it seems crazy drinking that much water first thing in the morning but it's one of those things that you just need to buckle down and do. And keep doing. Until it develops into a habit and routine as it has for me. You can get there with any sort of routine, you just need to stick with it. And it is a great way to start the day. Sets the tone! I am dropping my boys off and will be at work by 8:30 today. 

Hope you had a great weekend and a nice Monday. Mine was good though on Sunday, my almost four year old was not feeling well. I took my boys to see Monsters University at 1 pm. He was fine there. Later at home around 5 pm he was lethargic, feverish and eventually threw up. He was blah over the night through yesterday morning and he drank some Gatorade and water and had some food and by Noon was OK. I really have no idea what that was. Wasn't even a 24-hour bug. Possibly something he ate. My poor sweetie!! He was so pitiful! :(  He was afraid to eat or drink anything because he was thinking he'd keep throwing up. Nothing makes a mother feel worse than watching her babies be sick! 

Have you ever tried a cleanse? There are a variety of cleanses out there and I'm sure you hear about certain fad type cleanses or diets. I am not a fan of anything that brands itself as a "fast, easy way to lose weight". Sorry, that just doesn't exist. Yes, you can lose weight fairly fast by starving but it's not good for you and you won't look good by the end so it defeats the purpose. Yes, you might look like a skeleton, but is that really what you're going for?? 

Back to cleansing. I think it can be a really important part of weight-loss or even maintenance. I don't mean some weird, fad juice for two weeks. I mean whatever cleanse you choose to incorporate that can cleanse your guts out! If you want to shed some excess weight, then ingest certain foods that will help to eliminate it from your body. Old, toxic waste is not good for anything! And by cleansing once in awhile, you will help to get rid of that stuff! Nobody wants to talk about it but poop is important! haha! 

I have talked about the Sass 5-Day Fast Forward Cleanse before. I've done that one. You eat whole eggs, almonds or almond butter (raw/unsalted), plain or Greek yogurt, spinach and raspberries in various combinations for five days. You don't use any additives or salt. You can season with herbs, spices, peppers, garlic, etc...but nothing containing salt. It is four meals starting with a spinach/egg scramble with berries and almonds, then a yogurt parfait made of yogurt, raspberries and almonds (sprinkling cinnamon on that is good), and then a spinach salad using the spinach, sliced almonds, raspberries, hard-boiled eggs and using pepper and balsamic. And you finish with a smoothie using yogurt, raspberries (I use frozen for the smoothie) and almond butter. You can Google and find various blogs by people who did it and the results. I would change it up a bit. Sometimes I didn't want the salad and would just make the scramble again. 

Now is a great time for this cleanse because berries (especially raspberries) are in season. I have read that people changed it up and by day 3, they would eat blueberries or strawberries instead. I think that's OK. The author just states the study was done using the particular foods she chose however you can get results using other berries. Raspberries are nutrient powerhouses though! I have done the cleanse four times since reading about it two years ago. A really good time to do it is right after the holidays when you just feel YUCK and need to shed the yuck. haha! The only bad thing about that is there is nothing in season at that time. But the results are amazing. You shed your body of excess waste, you have eliminated salt cravings and cravings in general by excluding that stuff from your body for five solid days and you just feel great. You are a little light-headed and need to plan accordingly. And they do recommend not doing a lot of exercise during those five days as you are limiting your calories a lot. But this is solid proof that eating fats. Eggs and almonds...don't make you fat and can in fact help you shed excess waste! And lets face it, a food cleanse sounds a lot easier than only juice for days!! :) 

If you don't want to try that one then just check out various cleanses. Sometimes it can be as simple as eating a lot of fruits and veggies for a few days. Limit your starches. Just allow your body to use the good stuff in the fruit and veggies to shed the toxic stuff. Juicing can be really helpful with this too. And incorporating a cleanse once in awhile is so good for you. Just try something. Get out of the "fad cleanse" frame of mind and realize that they exist for a reason and you will benefit. 

Have a great day!! 

xoxoxo
Tam 

Never too late to start

Wooo! Made it to the weekend, we did. Well my weekend started at 5 pm last night. :)

Drinking my coffee. It's so lovely!  Snuggling with my boys. Love my mornings with them! It's the best way to start the day. They have both been extra clingy to me. Fighting over who can sit right next to me or even ON me. J.T. said "Mommy, I really missed-ed you!" (He adds "ed" on to a lot of things! haha!) I'm so excited to spend more time with him too with Summer vacation. I have Sunday/Monday off so that allows for extra time with my school boy!! He has a 1/2 day on Monday and then he is done with Kindergarten!!! 1st grade, here we come! And Sammy will start Kindergarten in September, 2014. My babies are growing entirely too fast!

Hitting the gym this morning. YES!! I so need a good sweat. And doing a few things around the home. Cleaning, laundry. BUT taking the boys to Monster University this afternoon. They have been so excited for this movie to come out for weeks! And the stores have Monsters U everything. Because you know Monsters U Cheez-its are better than regular Cheez-its! lol! 

You know the recent death of actor James Gandolfini has to have given many people a wake up call. To die at 51 so suddenly because of a sudden heart attack. So sad and so scary. With children...and a 1 year old daughter! My mother died at 50 so I know just how devastating it is to lose someone so very young. She had some health issues but also some bad habits as well which I am sure contributed. But I am sure many men especially see his death as a big sign to get their butt in gear and do something. Obviously I don't know his exact history but he was clearly overweight which contributes to so many health issues. Our bodies are just not meant to withstand that kind of weight. I should know!! :) 

When I finally had that moment of clarity of what I had to do. (from years of doing it wrong), and got my own butt in gear, it's like my body said "Yeahhh Baby!!" and it shed the weight fairly fast. Even doing it the slower, healthy way. That's what I want to stress to people. Some avoid starting because of the time they think it will take. And?? Time is the one thing that is going to continue to move day by day whether you do something or not. And it really doesn't take that long in the grand scheme of things. And it's not like you are very overweight every day and then after two years suddenly reach your goal. You are getting healthier and looking better every day and week of that process. So even well before "goal", there are significant changes! 

By losing 100 pounds you change your body's history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. Not to mention knee and joint issues. I have so much more energy now and just feel so much better. And I have succeeded in the past but I just live a different life now. Rather than do something temporarily, I incorporate certain things every day and it really is a no brainer and no big deal. :) 

If you start now, you will see significant changes in 8-12 weeks. I know that seems like a lot but we all know how fast time flies. Everyone says it. Time goes by so fast! For some reason when it comes to weight loss we fear time. We want those changes immediately. But I actually think the time it takes is good and healthy for our minds as well as our bodies. That kind of change happening too fast won't last, is not good for our body and doesn't allow your brain to catch up to what your body is doing or has done. And you don't learn anything. By paying attention to your body and how it responds to certain foods and activities you will understand why it is working. Or not working. Why you have a ton of energy or feel exhausted by 2 pm.  You need to understand this to truly want to keep the habits in or out of your life. So stop obsessing with the time! 

On that note, I am going to get up and around for the gym here in a few. My boys love playing at the daycare there. They actually ask "Are we going to the gym today??" all excited. It's so cute! And I like that I am instilling good, healthy habits in them. 

 And some goofing off from a few days ago. Playing around with the webcam! :) 

Enjoy your Sunday!! 

xoxoxo
Tam

Paying my dues to the dirt.

Good Mornin! 

Happy Friday!!! I hope you've all had a great week and have some fun weekend plans. I am trying to figure out what I'm going to be doing with the boys. They have been asking and asking when Monsters University is coming out so I will probably take them to that on Sunday. I want to see World War Z so bad but that will have to wait for kid free nights! :)

Yesterday was a weird day. I feel like saying "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Tami's life!" I feel like I need write a book about my life some days. It's bound to be a bestseller. It was an extremely long day and it was all for nothing as all was status quo with the important things. Some things still need to be taken care of though in this never-ending cycle. Calgon, take me away!! 

I had that green juice the other day again. I know people avoid kale like the plague. But please please try to incorporate it in some way. That kale/pineapple smoothie I had a few days ago was really good and refreshing. Pineapple is so sweet it cuts the tart of the kale a lot. 

Why is kale such a super, amazing, badass, awesome food?? I talk about it so much that people will email me that they bought some and thought of me! lol. I love that. As I've said before, I grew up with it in Oregon before it became "trendy". People have always grown it in their gardens out there. And did you know that in the Winter, that is when kale is in season?? Pretty sweet! 

It is one of the most nutritionally dense foods. Even if you have to mix it in with other foods to cut the taste, try to get it in your body somehow. It is full of vitamin E to help your brain cells and keep your mind sharp, vitamin A to help your immune system and bones and teeth, vitamin K to help strengthen the composition of our bones(especially important for Osteoporosis) and phytochemicals to lower risk of cataract and macular degeneration (something I see at work quite often!) One half cup of cooked kale meets the daily recommended dose of those phytochemicals. Amazing right? That is on top of the 45 flavonoids which are other powerful antioxidants that help protect against cancer. 

I found this cool site for some interesting ways to sneak kale into your day. Great recipes!! 
Kale Recipes

I think I posted something like this back when I first started blogging but I may post it at least once a month just to keep enforcing it! :) 

This is a good song. Puts me in a good mood for sure! :) The lyrics "Paying my dues to the dirt" seems so apt! But dirt is good. It grows kale!! ;)

Have a great day!!

xoxoxox
Tam

Lets make it last. Lets find a way! :)

Hi there! Happy Wednesday! :) 

I haven't felt very good the last few days. I woke up on Monday with a sinus cold. Pressure in my head and sneezing all the time. Good times! ha ha! I ran out of apple cider vinegar and keep meaning to get to the store to get some and keep forgetting. I stopped taking the Gingko Biloba.....so I forget! ;) It wasn't appearing to do much other than make me feel nauseous when I took it. But I need that apple cider vinegar to knock this sinus cold out! 

I've been thinking about some other supplements lately. I always read about various things. Most of what we need is in nutritious foods but supplementing is a good idea as well. A friend just told me about Hawaiian Astaxanthin. It is a carotenoid and apparently one of the badassest of the badass antioxidants out there. It is what gives shrimp, salmon and even flamingos their pink color. And the biggest result is it protects your skin from the sun. A friend was told by another friend that it was helping her age spots so my friend started taking it and notices them fading. Interesting!! I wanted to pass this on to you as well. Just make sure it's not synthetic. Apparently there can be some awful side effects with that. Hey, it's worth a shot right? If you try it, definitely let me know the results. 

I often think about how people age and what makes some age so much faster. Yes, it often has to do with genetics but I think it's more than that. I think we do have the power to reverse aging or at least slow it down..by how we choose to live. My great-grandmother Hazel had white hair as long as I knew her. It had a smidge of color here and there for a few years but was mostly white before becoming that super snowy white. I was lucky enough to know three great-grandparents growing up. 

But the point of this...is she just looked older for most of my life. And remember her sister walking in who was only two years younger. Being in their upper 80's, two years really isn't much! She had on this tailored suit, hair all perfectly coiffed and dark, energetic. I remember as a teenager thinking "Woah...why is it great-grams looks so much older than her sister??"...and I think it's all about life and how she lived. Her husband, my great-grandfather Howard was a logger (I'm from Oregon..that's what ya do there!! lol).  And he was injured when a tree fell on him and was paralyzed from the waist down for the remainder of his life, which really wasn't that long. My grandmother took care of him and he died before I was born. I think it just took so much out of her and she aged fast. And I think she let life get her down too much. 

I do think it has a lot to do with mind over matter. Living a positive rather than negative life. Keeping yourself feeling and looking younger through exercise and foods and laughing despite the "crap" that comes our way. Deciding that you have a lot to live for and be happy about. Perspective. A lot of us are just tired and need to rest. However upon retiring many people seem to die faster. Work gives us a reason to get up in the morning and creates a routine. It keeps our brain busy which allows us not to dwell on other things so much. I know we all say we'd love to win the lottery and never work again. But I don't think it's healthy for anyone. Being left alone with negative thoughts and too much time will only lead to problems. I have dealt with problems and drama by someone who clearly has too much time on their hands. It's just not good!! 

Also, smile. Smile! Enjoy the day despite the negativity all around us. That can make a difference in your life. And a smile transforms your face too! I feel for my great-grandmother Hazel. I wish I could go back in time and tell her to smile. Give her reasons to smile. And help her not feel so old! 

Have a lovely day everyone! Find a reason to smile and feel younger! 


Love this song! I love Bob Seger. He's a fav of mine for sure. Another influence my mother had on me! :) 

"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours" - Wayne Dyer 

xoxoxoxo
Tam

Monday Musings

Good morning!! 

I hope you had a lovely weekend and Father's Day! And much love to the amazing, selfless, giving, responsible fathers, brothers, grandfathers, step-dads, uncles and any father figures out there who give of themselves and have their priorities in line. Mucho respect! :) 

I had a great workout yesterday morning, did some cleaning, ran a few errands including buying more vitamins, got a pedicure and then relaxed at home for a couple of hours before my boys came home at 6. Then it was all about snuggle time with them. We did a little wrestling and I gave Sammy a few "horsey" rides down the hallway. My knees were not overly happy with that. Gah, I'm getting old! haha!  Both of my boys get to laughing so hard they can't breathe. And Sammy always gets the hiccups. It's hilarious. Both got hiccups when I was pregnant with them and it was usually around 3am! :) 

I got a smoothie yesterday. It was called the Tropi-Kale. It was mostly pineapple and kale and was really good. The sweet from the pineapple balanced the more bitter kale and it ended up tasting similar to a tart apple. Very refreshing and so so good for you. I have talked about kale many many many times in the past!! hahaa! But I may need to try my own using those ingredients. It's awesome to know you're drinking something that is nourishing your body from the inside out! 

I'm sure we all have things we wish we knew when we were younger. Unfortunately I think it takes going through some of the trial and errors of life to get that kind of wisdom. We can pass on that wisdom to others and hope they can learn from it and maybe not make the same mistakes. That is a huge reason why I created this blog. Many people on My Fitness Pal had asked me to blog and to help inspire and so I try my best. But it took me doing it the wrong way to figure out how to do it the right way so if I can help save y'all that time and trouble it took me to get it right...then that is truly an amazing thing, my friend! 

A couple of other things I wish I knew when I was younger that I incorporate into my life now....

You are in control of happiness. If you don't like the way things are then get the courage to change it. I did that a few years ago and I am much happier and peaceful. So many people make themselves victims and don't realize how strong they truly are. You can accomplish some amazing things if your heart is in the right place. That is one thing my mother taught me. Not to wallow. I am strong and capable. Get up and get the job done. Simple as that. :) 

I have heard "this too shall pass" many times by many friends and it really is the truth. There will always be hard times and stressful situations. You can choose to rise above and just learn and grow stronger by these situations. And as I've said before, what others say and do is a reflection on them and not you. Nothing they say and do has to do with you. Ever. 

And my younger self should know that balance is the key. Deprivation is not. I wish I could go back in time and teach that lesson. Stop worrying about the number on the scale and feeling a need to be and look a certain way based on "society". Food is not the enemy. It is there to make us look and feel wonderful. We have the power to make the right choices and balance it all out. 

Ahhh, that wisdom that comes with age, life's lessons and trial and error. With so much negativity out there I choose to be positive and happy. After all, I have that power, as do you! And my boys will benefit from a positive, happy mother rather than a curmudgeon! :) 

This is how I live my life! And it does wonders! 

Time for me to get the show on the road. A very full day again. Much to do! Catch you all on the flip side! 

I think it's a good day for this song! Carry on!!! 

"Pay close attention to the particular thoughts you use to deprive yourself of happiness" -Byron Katie 

xoxoxox
Tam