balance.

As much as I enjoyed the SMALL changes I saw following Rachel Mac's diet, it wasn't for me. It was incredibly restrictive and the way I see it, if I'm going to be eating so meticulously, I want amazing results. This did not happen.
To keep things interesting, and to continue to challenge myself, I usually change my diet/exercise regiment monthly. This is also my feeble attempt at breaking this plateau. I do think it's also important to find balance not only your eating (I'll explain in a sec), but also in your progress. It's entirely too easy for me to focus on the future. I want to be *THIS* weight, or look *THIS* way, which is great and all but I rarely reflect on where I've been. I am thrilled with the success I've had thus far. I'm a completely changed person. Eating healthy and exercising is me now. This truly is my life. It's the happiest I have ever been and I have met some of the best friends I could ever have asked for along the journey. I am most thankful for them, since they understand my gym/healthy eating addiction that most people that don't live this way don't get. They don't understand how gross you feel eating something that's unhealthy or a "cheat" because their bodies haven't had the pleasure of only eating clean food. And they don't understand how a bad workout/missing a workout just screws everything up. So periodically, I am making an honest attempt to praise myself, and my body for my hard work. I've come A LONG WAY!

With that being said, a new month is approaching so it's time for some changes!! I have had great success with calorie counting app (as discussed in my about me) and haven't used it in quite some time. Following this eating plan and doing that, I've really lost touch with what I'm feeling/the amount I'm consuming. My goal for this month is to be VERY intuitive to my body! I will continue to eat clean of course, and am considering a quasitarian approach. I am also starting clinicals which will keep me on my feet 40hrs a week + gym time. In addition to that, I am going to keep eating gluten free because it makes me feel good. I'd also like to incorporate more veggies and keep my calories between 1600-1800.
But it's a BALANCE. It makes me feel better when NOTHING is off limits. In most cases, I have no problem not eating "bad" things because I know I will feel miserable... it's the no-you-cant-have-this that makes me want it. I've always believed in the 80/20 rule and I intend to follow that.

Here goes nothing!!!!!!!!!!! :)))) TGIF!

beach [mini] vaca + review

Hi-ya! We literally *just* got back from a lovely little mini-vacation. I booked us in an executive suite at the Sirata Beach Resort (review to follow) and can I just say that it SUCKS coming home. It was so amazing to spend a few days away with nothing to worry about. Please excuse the fact I only have cell phone pictures, my camera died!!

view from our room

The first night, we ventured to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. I was craving seafood and it was situated beautifully on St. John's Pass. I truthfully do not have much to stay about this meal because it was ridiculously priced (19.95 for shrimp skewers=6 shrimp total) and veggies. Not only was the food NOT worth it, as you can tell from the receipt below, the service was equally as shitty. We were greeted by Lisa, who took our drink order and meal order at one time. Then, we never saw her again. Not before our meals came, not after, not for refills, nothing. If you've ever been to Bubba's you know they have a system where you flip a sign which reads "Stop Forrest Stop" if you need something. But, I didn't feel it was necessary to have to flip the sign for refills, a check, to pick up the check, etc. Not to mention, every time we needed someone, it was someone different that stopped. And to top if off, if you see the receipt says Jessica. Who the hell was Jessica?


The next day, we checked out Ft. Desoto, which was pretty cool.. but this pretty flower was the best part. He loves me, he loves me not. :)

Then, after several naps in a pitch black room I decided to go for a run. I'm here to tell you *THIS* is the way to run. It's so beautiful to run along the shoreline with the waves at your ankle.

After my run, I needed FOOD. Logan had mentioned pizza and since it is vacation and all, it sounded like a good idea.

and it was. We went to DeLosa's and OH. MY. GOD. The sweet little guy that was working recommended white pizza with chicken, tomatoes, and spinach. Beyond amazing. I can't believe I ate two pieces. WORTH EVERY CALORIE. I would probably deem this my favorite meal of the trip, aside from my cereal suicide this morning (honey nut cherrios, lucky charms + banana) Just kidding. Kind of.

On to the review:
My overall opinion of the Sirata was probably 4 out of 5 stars. The room was nice, with a fluffy king size bed and a great view. It was partially obstructed by the parking lot, but we got to see the Bay and it was really our only choice if we wanted a king bed.. which we did. My biggest complaint about the room was the lack of toiletries. I never pack any of that stuff and was disappointed to only find a tiny bottle of shampoo. Needless to say, my hair felt like shit all the whole time. :(
I did love the decent sized balcony. It had two chairs, and a small table. It also had biiiiggggg curtains which helped to make the room pitch black. I loved that because I LOVEEEE my naps.
The area was nice, with lots of options to eat, a few on properties as well as 3 pools and great beach access. I would visit the Sirata again, but I am not in any hurry. I'm sure there are equally as nice places.
Pros:
-great location
-comfy bed
-dark room
-clean
-plenty of pools
-lots of linen
-quiet (for the most part)
-later check out available (12pm)
Cons:
-no toiletries
-paying for parking ($8!)
-paying for wireless internet ($9 a day? no thanks)
-no continental breakfast
*My biggest con was that upon check out we were charged for drinks which we never purchased. They did correct this, but it seemed incredibly fishy since he check-out guy informed us it was a typo when on the receipt you can clearly see they charged us, along with a time of day. This couldn't have been a mistake because to charge anything to your room, you must have your card present. I do not know this for certain, but I have a strange feeling they automatically charge you for 1 drink and since most people take advantage of the bars, they never catch it. We brought our own booze so it was easy to catch. Just sayin'.

You should also know I was not offered anything to do this review, I just like to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

the abcs of the foodie in me.

I found this on Matt's blog and wanted to re-share. Because I'm lamesauce and/or addicted to surveys.

[A] Apples or Oranges

depends on the season. I want oranges in the summer & apples in the fall. :)

[B] Beans or Lentils

Beans, baby!!

[C] Cereal or Oatmeal

cereal. honey nut chex junkie.

[D] Dates or Raisins

dates. with almond butter.

[E] Eggs or Milk

milk. you can do more with it. plus it's required for smoothies/shakes. i just typed smookies and thought about keeping it. can i coin this my new phrase? smoothie+shake=smookie.

[F] French toast or waffles

tonga toast from disney's wilderness lodge.

[G] Garlic or salt

garlic. gotta keep the vamps away & all.

[H] Honey or maple syrup

honey maple syrup!

[I] Ice cream or frozen yogurt

there's no way to choose. i love them both. dense ice cream vs light (i-can-eat-so-freaking-much-and-not-feel-a-thing) frozen yogurt?? i will have my ice cream & eat my frozen yogurt too.

[J] Jam or toast

i can't pick toast! just plain ol' toast sucks. does jelly count? if so, a sandwich with grape jelly + cheese+egg.

[K] Kale or spinach

Portuguese kale soup.

[L] Lemon or Lime

I'm pretty indifferent.

[M] Muffins or Cupcakes

freaking cupcakes for sure!!

[N] Nut butter or jelly

here's the jelly in question--- but in this instance, nut butter. justin's honey or maple almond butter to be exact. i've thought of making my own but that seems like entirely too much work.

[O] Onions or peppers

both. they go together.

[P] Peanuts or Almonds

Almonds. :)

[Q] Quick bread or yeast bread

wtf? i like bread to be quick to my table, then to my belly- -so i guess quick bread.

[R] Raspberry or blackberry

raspberries, thank you BERRY much.

[S] Sweet or savory

that's tough! i freaking love junk like doritos but my heart probably belongs to cake.

[T] Tea or Coffee

coffee. <3 starbucks skinny iced caramel macchiatto.

[U] Udon or spaghetti noodles

spaghetti SQUASH noodles. :)

[V] Vanilla or Chocolate

CHOCO-HOLIC.

[W] Whole wheat or white bread

Whole Foods gluten free white bread.

[X] Xanthum gum or Guar Gum

i currently use guar gum--- never used xanthum before.

[Y] Yogurt or Pudding

homemade (casein) protein pudding

[Z] Zucchini or Cucumber

zucchini

yur buds.

As promised, here's your review: IronMan brand Yur Buds! If I was cool like Janae and had a gear page, that is where this would go. See, I sort of eat headphones. Or I may as well. I don't know what it is about me, but I go though more headphones in a year than normal people do in a life time. I don't know if it the amount I sweat, or amount of times used but no pair has ever lasted.

In addition to my inability to keep anything in good condition, I hate having to fiddle with my headphones. Nothing pisses me off more than a headphone sliding off your head, ear bud falling out of your ear, hurting your ear, sound cutting in and out, etc.

A month or so ago I went to Best Buy to get my geek on with my Dad. I had been without headphones for a week at this point and was getting irritable. (Why is it that I can't stand the sound of me breathing?) I asked a nice Best Buy guy what the best headphones were for sports. Without thinking a second, he handed me the Iron Man Yur buds. He went on to say that his manager ran marathons with these and never had any problems with the falling out or dying.(No he wasn't giving me marathon advice, we're talking about the headphones) He may have been making that up, but I was convinced. Plus, on the way to the register I thought "It's freaking Iron Man, they had to have gotten it right".

They did. They're not kidding with their twist and lock technology. I'm not going to lie, it's a bit strange at first, but you'll get use to it. I beat the hell out of them and they still work. I have literally tugged on the plugs, and they don't come out.

I'm cheap as hell, but spend the money, buy these. NOW.

bad romance.

I must say, I should take the cake (preferably THIS one) for being the worst blogger. No blogging in over 2 weeks? I suck.

I pinky promise, by the end of the day you will have a product review. I should disclose I am not being compensated at all for this review. I am just truly obsessed with Ironman Yurbuds and trust me, you should be too.

For now, I'm off to run in my Vibrams with Dad, then to the gym to do my assigned reading for school. I may or may not feel obligated to do this on a piece of cardio equipment because I may or may not have eaten (some) the most fattening, delicious baked spaghetti last night followed by half a cannoli with my handsome.

In other news: I am on week 2 of Rachel Mac's diet/exercise regiment from BodyBuilding.com and I am down from 22.98% to 22.50% in just 2 weeks. I'm also down a pound and am noticing more definition and over good feeling. I'll keep you updated on that. No, really, I will. :) You should know the baked spaghetti and cannoli are not part of the regiment. Unless you're me and have zero willpower around Italian food. In my defense I turned down Publix chocolate chip cookies (which are the most amazing things on earth), pizza, and chips, and several other foods making this my first cheat... and also, I pretty proud of the fact I did not binge, but that's a story for a different day.

See you lata, alligata.

celebrity status.

I did my first guest post!! I completely *LOVE* Kyra and am honored she'd let me to a guest post on her amazing blog. This girl is building an empire!!!

Check it out!!!

http://www.thegetinshapeworkoutplan.com/metabolism-the-musical

weekend recap

life is *SO* good. especially at the beach.

and with peanut butter m&ms in hand.

10 random things-purse edition

I have to tell you, I always win the purse game ladies usually play at jewelry/tupperware/purse parties. You know the one where they call at ridiculous things and whoever has the most things from the crazy list wins. So, aside from credit cards, cell phones and other basic lifelines, here's my top 10 list of nonsense I like to keep in my purse (in no particular order)

-my BodyAttack CD/DVD/Notes
-fork or spoon
-wet wipes
-tummy medicine/aspirin
-a minimum of 3 packs of gum (right now I have apple pie, sweet mint, and cinnamint)
-deodorant
-Crystal Light/Xenadrin mix-ins for water
-2 pairs of sunglasses
-an extra necklace (gotta accessorize!)
-an ipod & 2 sets of headphones

what's in your purse?

a day in the life.

breakup letter.

After a very scientific process over the past week or so, I have come to the realization I have a gluten intolerance. I was getting very ill for a while after eating certain things and after reading up on gluten intolerance I decided to eliminate it from my diet and see how I felt. AMAZING I tell you. It's hard since there is gluten in a million different things, even ones you wouldn't expect, but it's worth it to not feel that horrible. So, since gluten and I have had a nearly 23 year romance, I thought it only appropriate to write a breakup letter.

Dear Gluten,
It's over. I don't know how else to tell you this. You make me sick. I do hope you take comfort in the fact it's truly me, and not you. We're just a bad combination. Like fire and gasoline. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss you and all of your grainy goodness. But, the truth is, it's worth the temporary heartache to not be completely miserable and in the fetal position. We had a good go, we really did. I do love cupcakes, bread, pasta, and appreciate your starring role. Though, this is how it must be. Don't worry, I won't speak ill of you to others. I won't ruin your reputation or throw your stuff you on the lawn. It will be a challenge finding someone to replace you, but I am confident I am moving in the right direction. Plus, it doesn't help your case that you were really trying to make me fat. I'm sorry it had to end this way and I hope you understand why I have to do this. It's what's best. At least for me anyways.

<3 Chelsea

whole paycheck.

Some people dream of going to Disney World, or the Super Bowl. But, for me, it's Whole Foods.

Today we spent over an hour and nearly a whole paycheck at Whole Foods. But, it was a gorgeous day and Logan & I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves... along with all of our random impulse buys. I love days like today. <3

please excuse what I spilled on the counter.. and the fact that we bought this many chips.

unpictured:
-sushi
-an embarrassing amount of hummus
-van's gluten free waffles
-gluten free pasta
-organic cherries
-organic grapes

now off to watch the 3rd season of Breaking Bad with a whole lot of munching and a whole lot of this:

Happy weekend. :)

buffalo and badges

Wednesday, I thought you'd never get here. I hate the term "hump day", but I love knowing I am half way to the weekend!!

I started the day with a sweaty run with Brittany. I am so glad we got to run together since she is leaving, yet again, for another vacation! I'm insanely jealous. We managed 3.10mi in the treacherous Florida heat. Even at 6:00am, my clothes were saturated from the muggy, moist air. But, it is SO, SO worth it for the endorphin high.

DONE!

School came and went pretty quickly, but something excited DID happen. We got our radiation badges!! This means we're officially official. We got traditional film badges and ring badges since as Nuclear Medicine Techs we get a lot of exposure to our hands drawing up doses. Just one step closer to graduation, people!!!

In case you were wondering, it's completely normal to make creepy faces in every picture.

I should also mention it's completely normal to be infatuated with anything buffalo flavor. I am in love with Buffalo Shake N' Bake as a cheap and reasonably healthier choice for buffalo wings. It's baked rather than fried after all! So it only made sense to come home and make a massive mock buffalo chicken salad.

salad + runner's world=LOVE
in the mix:
-4 oz buffalo chicken
-chopped sweet bell peppers
-(hidden) chopped broccoli
-a handful of shredded cheddar
-a drizzle of ranch & EXTRA Frank's hot sauce
& of course, copious amounts of romaine lettuce

I'd count today as a success, especially since I got my hair done too!! (Pictures, soon) Plus, I finally finished my guest post for my dear friend Kyra, "The Get in Shape Girl"! I'll post the link asap! Exciting things are happening!!! :)))

happy 235th birthday

HAPPY 235TH BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!

I hope your day has been filled with good food, great company, and lots of pyrotechnics.

credit

Today, I did what all college students do on a day off from school. I took part in the Amazing Workout at my gym (well, half which is still an hour), practiced Body Attack for 2 hours, and NAILED my speed workout!!! My paces were 400m (2:15) 800m (4:54) 1200 (6:57) and then 800m, 400m followed by a cool down. Here's mine:

400m- 2:00

800m- 4:15

1200m-6:27

800m-4:15

400m-2:00

Holy hell. When did I get so speedy? I should also mention this workout was done in the pouring rain. :) I love a good runners' high. It reminds you why you endure the horrible workouts.

After all that, I'm exhausted. I plan to finally take a shower and possibly wash my hair.

three things thursday.

1. I can’t stand my food to touch. I’m well aware that it goes to the same place, but the idea of all my food smooshing together disgusts me. I’m the weirdo at dinner that has like 4 plates with 2 things each on them.
2. Since early this morning, all I can think about is *these*. I think I may need to make these for a fourth of July BBQ I’ve been invited to. But, *these* festive little babies also stole my heart too. Both?
3. Today, when I ordered my coconut iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts, the women working the drive-thru completely called me out. She asked where I had been, since I haven’t been there in a few days and in the middle of my order, she finished it for me. “Extra coconut, splenda, and skim milk, right?” she says. It's like she psychic. Kind of embarrassing that the people at Dunkin Donuts know me to a tee. They even make comments if I come in early/later than usual. I guess it could be worse. At least we're on good terms!
   

BEST NEWS ALL DAY: IT’S FRIDAY TOMORROW!!!!!!

wild woman.

I love to eat venison. I can't really hide it. Not only because most of the time we know EXACTLY where it came from, but because it has much less fat than traditional beef. I know there is a common stipulation that gives venison a bad name. I won't tell you it tastes like chicken, but I will tell you the first thing that comes to mind isn't Bambi. It's not game-y (if prepared correctly) and it has filled our bellies for FREE instead of having to purchase beef. I love to make spaghetti with it, or sausage. But, tonight I thought meatloaf would be a good idea since meatloaf sandwiches are equal to crack. WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD?!?! The only thing I would probably change is to mix some beef in (if it was available) just to make it this much thicker.

Recipe adapted (loosely) from *THIS* recipe

• 1 pound ground venison (I used ground venison sausage)
  
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon Johnny's seasoning
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used marinara because that's what was left over in the fridge)
  
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• salt + pepper to taste
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare your ground meat in a large mixing bowl.
Add dry ingredients (panko bread crumbs, brown sugar, and seasoning)







Then, the remaining wet ingredients.


Pat mixture into a 9x9-inch pan, or a loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, about 40 minutes.
If desired, top with extra tomato sauce and/or cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.

it's fishy, but right on time, it's fishyyyyy!

please sing that to the tune of Run DMC's "It's Tricky".

As promised, mainly to myself, today was fish stick day. I've had these delicious looking babies on the brain ALL DAY. I've always liked fish sticks and paired with french fries was a regular thing in my home growing up. Being from New England, we love our seafood. But you know who's not a fan of these gems? My dearest boyfriend. So, I usually give him fair warning when I plan to make something fishy so he can fend for himself. And the star girlfriend award goes to me!!!

I was so pleased with how these turned out. Considering I can destroy nearly any perfect recipe, I was glad I didn't turn this into another dinner disaster. They were perfect. Just crispy enough, with a moist flaky center. And ::gasp:: they didn't even need ketchup. But, it would have been a nice addition. I paired these with roasted red potatoes and my new love, roasted broccoli. YUM!!

As seen on How Sweet It Is

Healthy Homemade Fish Sticks

makes 12 fish sticks

3 tilapia filets (I’m sure you can use another fish too)

2 egg whites, beaten

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450.

Lay a wire rack on a baking sheet and spray it with non-stick spray.

Cut the tilapia once down the middle, then in half, creating four “sticks.” Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, beat the 2 egg whites. In a separate bowl, add the panko, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Dip each fish stick in egg whites, than in the panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Lay on the wire rack and spritz with olive oil.

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve hot...


and devour!!!

ketchup love & 400m repeats.

I try to be a positive person. I really do. When I start thinking negatively, I immediately focus on something more positive and I really try to appreciate the things around me. But this is hard to do when you are racing around at 6:30am getting ready for class, and get ketchup all over your scrub top. If you're wondering who eats ketchup at 6:30am, the answer is me. And I'm trying to figure out how you could possibly eat eggs without it. You should know I only own 2 pairs of scrubs since I'm a broke frugal college student, I had to resort to digging my only other pair out of the dirty clothes. Which was lovely, since it's laundry day today and it was buried under layers of sweaty workout clothes.

THANK GOD FOR DOWNY WRINKLE RELEASE!!!

The greatest joy of the day was meeting Brittany at the gym for a serious running workout. 10 minute warm up & cool down with 8x400m 2:15 pace repeats. WE KILLED IT!!! I love having someone there to motivate me. :) Brittany, you rock!

Now, living the Janae life- - -at my parent's house doing laundry

AND eating their food. heck yes for free meals. :)

shakin' n' bakin'. plus uncle ben's 90 second brown rice, & brown sugar baby carrots. quite the gourmets we are.

Don't worry, tomorrow's meal will be a bit more sophisticated. I've had How Sweet It Is' fish sticks on the brain for days and I can't wait to make them!!

PS: Since you're all dying to know, I've found a new water bottle to love.

a cakey catastrophe.

After falling asleep last night at 9pm (yes, I realize I have the soul of an 80 year old woman) it was impossible to sleep past 7:30am. Not to mention, my stomach was growling like food had never entered my belly. I begged and pleaded with Logan to make pancakes but he wasn't budging. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. He tried to coach me along but it was still a disaster. I think I'm going to keep making horrible cooking mistakes so he will just cook. He's so much better at it. Not only did I somehow screw up the pancake mixture, but I forgot to grease the griddle! In a complete panic, I tried to quickly scrap the batter off the grill to salvage it. Not the best idea I've ever had. I greased the griddle and desperately tried to save breakfast. I did make something, but I'm not sure you'd call these beauties pancakes.

They were dense, cakey, and gooey, but they did the trick. So no real complaints, I guess. I finally got my act together and went to the gym to practice my Body Attack release. It's amazing how much you can really get into it, even when you're alone. My extra loud coaching (aka screaming) during the Plyometric track even got the attention of passer-byers who I caught staring at me through the windows. Slightly embarrassing.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, until sheer terror consumed me. I realized I lost my favorite water bottle. Stupid, I know. But it's hard to find a water bottle large enough to carry your daily recommended 8 cups and I'm just too lazy busy to refill. Suddenly I recalled after leaving my parents house hearing a thud when I was driving down the road. I thought I just hit something, and I probably did. My WATER BOTTLE. It occurred to me I probably drove off with it on the roof but my curiosity that will likely kill me one day, made it impossible to not go look for it. And there it was, on the side of the road. I looked like hell for the cap but nothing. The only reason why I brought it home was because I was amazed it didn't bust after flying off the roof at at least 50mph.

*Note the tire marks* RIP water bottle. :(

In other news, Logan has decided to cook dinner, which means two things. Not only will we actually have something delicious to eat, but our closet apartment will make it another day without catching on fire.

PS: Please don't judge me for my horrible photography. I'm having technical difficulties with my camera, so my phone will just have to do for now. I'm working on it though, I promise!!!

first date.

Well, this is awkward. Pretty much like a first date. Since this is my *FIRST* post ever I feel like I should try to impress you. But I've got nothing. Plus, you should probably get to know someone first before you start revealing things... And that usually stands for behavior on the first date, as well. Haha. So let's just move on to something completely and totally random.




hi. bacon? i love you.