A Healthy Comfort Food Night

After a long day at work — is there really anything better than a meal full of comfort foods?

Thursdays are my late nights (have I mentioned that before 😉 — so by the time the day is done, I’m ready for a good meal and relaxation.  Tonight absolutely fit that bill.

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Pasta Night – Jara Style

Does anyone remember Sandra Dee’s Semi-Homemade?  That is the theme for tonights dinner.

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It started with a package of Pasta Prima Organic Spinach and Cheese Raviolo

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Zach and I picked this up last time we were at CostCo.  We’ve gotten pasta from them before and are normally very happy.

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The pasta itself look pretty spectacular, so the only thing we added to it was some Tomato Basil red sauce from Sprouts heated up on the stove top.

While the pasta boiled, I prepped us a side salad to make sure we were getting some fresh greens in with our meal.

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The base of our salad was Organic Girl’s Baby Spring Mix

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With a chopped green pepper, broccoli, and half a yellow onion left over from mexican.  Does anyone else use salads as a garbage disposal?

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The salads were the perfect fresh side to the warm, delicious pasta puffs 🙂

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Does anyone know how to make pasta look good?

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And nothing pairs better with a pasta meal than a glass of red wine.

Pasta is by far one of my favorite comfort foods to make at home.  Especially when you don’t feel like a lot of prep or wait time.  Quick, easy, and satisfying.  Especially when it’s paired with a fresh side salad.

 

Question of the Night: What’s your go-to comfort food meal after a long day?

 

I’m Proud

Ironically enough I found my quote for the day from RunningBloggers on facebook.

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This got me thinking about different aspects of my Daily Routine, specifically in trying to live a healthy and balance lifestyle.  The things I’m good at, and things I’m NOT so good at.

When it comes to my healthy living, I am good about:

  • Fitting in daily activity and exercise
  • Being self motivated
  • Creating goals and working to attain them
  • Eating natural, healthy, and REAL foods as much as possible.  My body actually CRAVES them.
  • REST — I am good about listening to my body and getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep most nights

Then of course, the things I could use to work on:

  • Sweets — I have no restraint with chocolate and sweets and often eat way too much of them.
  • Prepacked granola and protein bars.  I have a soft spot for them — and sometimes the ingredients are SCARY.
  • Drinking enough water
  • Wine — a definitely weakness, I love wine and probably have a little more than I need sometimes.
  • I can some times be too rigid with my routine — I have a tendency to ignore some messages that my body may being trying to send me, to a fault.

I’d say the thing I pride myself the most on in this little healthy living journey is making physical activity a part of my daily routine.

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Whether it’s through running, hiking, yoga, or even walking — my body CRAVES physical activity.

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I began working out with a goal of vanity, wanting to be thinner or wanting to look better.

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But with time it became about so much more than that.

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Exercise was about feeling better, feeling STRONGER, and overall feeling healthier.

I am PROUD of myself and my relationship with exercise and activity.  While it hasn’t always been healthy, it has now developed into something that is a HUGE part of my daily routine, and quite frankly just makes me a healthier, happier person.

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Like this quote says, for me, being healthy is about making the decision to be active daily.  That doesn’t mean I run 10 miles everyday, or even RUN every day.  It means I prioritize activity of some kind in my daily routine.  Some days, that IS running 10 miles.  Other days, it’s spending my lunch going for a walk.  It’s all about just getting out there.

Something so small, but something that has made a huge difference in my day-to-day:

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My yoga ball.

I sit at work for 8.5 hours a day.  Sure I get up all the time to get clients, but for much of the day I am sitting down.  For somebody with a not so great back — this was NOT working out well for me.   Then I was introduced to my wonderful yoga ball. . . and have been in love ever since.

Now being honest, it took a few days to get used to.  I had to find my balance on the ball, and at first I missed having the back of a chair.  But now — I LOVE my yoga ball, and feel like it has really helped to strengthen my core.

Now of course, we all know I’m not perfect.  I have my weaknesses and things I’d LOVE to change in my daily routine.

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Like my tendency to overindulge in sweets. . .

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And yes — I should make an effort to minimize this.  I say minimize because I would never advocate cutting sweets out completely. Life is all about balance and a part of that balance, for me, is the indulgence of chocolate and sweets.

But — for now, I am going to bask in the pride of my having made physical activity a part of my daily routine, and celebrate with a quick walk in the sunshine  (and maybe eat a piece of chocolate…maybe).

Question of the Afternoon:  What part of your daily routine are you most proud of?

You’ll Thank Me Later

Is it just me or has this week actually flown by?

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Thirsty Thursday anyone?

HA — ohhh the college days.  Now, I’m lucky if I’m awake beyond 1030, let along going out to party on a Thursday by 1030.  I just thought that was WAY too funny not to share with you all when I was looking up Thursday images.  🙂

Biggest Lesson From Last Night

Try these:

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And thank me later.

I’m thinking the perfect running fuel?

Ok maybe that’s an exaggeration, but they could work.

Thank you Halloween season for bringing out the best surgary treats for the children in all of us 🙂

This Morning

Even though I went to bed in a starburst candy corn/sugar coma, I woke up this morning well rested and ready to get a work out in.  This morning called for strength, so I hit the gym ready to get pumped up (Arnold anyone?)

Work Out Of The Morning:  Strength 

  • 20 minutes warm up on the bike (about 7 miles)
  • Intervals one 1 minute strength work out, 30 seconds jumping jacks for 20 minutes.  Think:
  • bicep curls
  • lunges
  • lateral raises
  • incline sit ups
  • plank
  • side plank
  • chest press

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Etc. . . until I hit 20  minutes.  So I’d do one of these exercises, then split up the exercises with 30 seconds of jumping jacks to keep my heart rate up.

Honestly — this was the toughest strength workout I’ve done in a long time.  I LOVED it! 🙂

Then — because I still had a few minutes, I did a few arm workouts on the scary machine (standing row and chest press)

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100 incline sit ups

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And a few minutes on the leg press.

I left a sweaty beast, and loved it 🙂

And now — it’s time to shower up and head into work for my late start morning.  Whoooot. 😉

Quesiton of the Morning:  What is your absolute favorite strength training exercise and why?