Blog Will Be Changing Soon!

My journey has taken me to many incredible places within myself. What I've learned over these (almost) three years astounds me to even this day. I'll be sharing a lot of that in the future. 

One big thing I've learned is that we never stop learning, growing and changing. I love that! It's so exciting to know that a year from now, I'll be a better version of me. 

Within my growth, I've struggled with my blog a bit. It started off as Mama Lego's Happy Place and changed into Healthy Foodies and now I just kinda don't feel that? Because I've become more than just a weight loss story. I'm so much more than that. 

My Facebook page is Mommy's Going Healthy! (Never heard of it? Head over there and give it a like!) I kind of love it because "healthy" is an open term - it's not just about eating and exercising, but it's about having a happy mind and soul. To be healthy is to have a happy mind, body, diet and soul. And Mommy's Going Healthy is reflecting my journey in that. 

I want my blog to head in that direction. I need to change the name. Maybe Mommy's Going Healthy will be it, or maybe I'll choose something else. I'll be thinking it over on the weekend and hopefully start to implement the changes over the next week. 

I absolutely will still share my weight loss progress and recipes, but I'll also be sharing with you what I've been learning about myself along the way! I also want to show other moms that they too can take great care of themselves (inside and out!) and their families too :)

So .. Any suggestions for a blog re-name?! 

My Red Seven-Pounders

 I usually use 3 lbs weights to do my P90 strength routine (paired with resistance bands) and lately, I'd been feeling like yeah, they were working, but not enough. I knew my muscles were ready for more.

Armed with my Canadian Tire gift card, I went shopping! Derek and I had a lot of fun browsing through the sports and workout section .. I saw SO much that I wanted to bring home with me! And, side note, why the heck are bosu balls so expensive?! 

Derek and I loved the look and feel of the irons but yeah, the price tag wasn't quite so friendly, so we settled for the colorful ones. I grabbed some red 7-pounders and did a few of the P90 moves .. Yup. My first few workouts with them were going to suck. And that's exactly what I wanted! 

So this morning it was time to break them in. And wow, was it ever awesome. You know that addictive feeling you get when you FEEL your muscles straining and bulging under those weights?! Wow!! I'm so happy I increased my weights and can't wait to see my arms at the end of P90. And I can't wait to increase again :)

Some people might say, well seven pounds isn't much. My answer: we all start somewhere, and I'm rocking these!! To me, seven pounds is heavy and hard and right where I need to be. I'm so happy I've started working with weights, I love it! 

Do you incorporate weight training into your workout routine?

That Zumba thing

This past Sunday, I promised my sister that I'd join her for her Zumba class on Monday. She loves Zumba and takes three classes a week, plus a boot camp class. She raves about how much she loves Zumba and has invited me countless times throughout the year. 

Between my husband and I, we don't have a lot of free time in the week to head out and join a fitness class or go for runs (this is why I love my schedule-friendly Beachbody programs!) .. We alternate our work schedules so someone is always home with the kids and we value spending time together as well. We get two nights a week together. I always felt guilty at the idea of going out to do something for myself. 

Hubby encouraged me to go - he knows how much I want (and need!) to get myself out there, taking different classes and seeing what programs are available. I want to work in the fitness industry and need to learn as much as I can about it. 

So this week, I agreed I'd go. Finally.

I'd started back on PiYO and P90 that weekend and I.was.so.sore. Especially my right hamstring. No amount of Epsom salts and massaging was helping. It was cold as hell the Monday night. I didn't know quite where I was going and was trusting that the OC Transpo travel planner was sending me to the right place. 

I had many reasons why I shouldn't have gone, or why I should have waited for another week. The biggest one? I was scared. 

I'd never taken a group fitness class before. I was scared that I wasn't "in shape" enough to last the entire hour. What if I fell?! My coordination is awful, what if I were to mess up the entire time?! 

But I was determined not to let my fears and excuses get the best of me. Plus, a friend on my facebook page reminded me that everyone would be too busy watching their own selves to care about what I was doing! And I could modify the moves if my hamstring bothered me. 

I bundled up to brave the cold and headed out. 

To Zumba or bust!

Well my travel planner was wrong, wrong wrong and I arrived to my transfer stop, only to discover that my bus was only going to show up AFTER class had already started. I called my sister (in tears - I was frustrated and SO so cold) and told her I probably wasn't going to make it. And she arranged for her friend Louise to come meet me. Amazing, right? They came to get me even though it meant that they'd be a bit late too. Fitness friends are incredible. 

So we made it just in time to change and go!! The music was loud and incredible. I had SO MUCH FUN!! The class was packed (apparently the instructor, Paula, is very popular!). I wasn't as bad as I thought I'd be. Sure, I went left when I should have gone right and got dizzy with this one song with a ton of spinning in it, but I did my best, laughed and had a blast. And as a true testament to the endurance I've built up from running and P90 - I made it through the hour, with energy to spare. It was great.

The glow of a great class!

I'd love to join in on her class weekly! It was such fun. And I loved being surrounded by people who are interested in bettering themselves and helping each other! Everyone was so friendly! 

So, the moral of my story is: don't let your fears stop you from trying new things .. You could miss out on an experience you'd really love. 

Turkey Dinner Leftover Ideas!

I know I should really have posted this about two weeks ago when everyone had leftover Christmas dinners in their fridge .. But we had two turkey dinners last week (on top of the two from the week prior!) and didn't just want to have turkey sandwiches all week (though we do LOVE them!). 

Derek and I wanted to get creative with our turkey leftovers .. So we did! Ready for some awesome ideas?

1. Strip all the meat off the turkey and boil the bones to make a turkey stock. Throw in some carrots, onions and seasoning to flavor it up!

2. Make soups! We made two batches of soup with our 2 stocks, one of them (the top photo) is a sweet potato + carrot + onion soup flavored with ginger and curry. The second photo is the prep for our turkey and veggie soup. 

3. Christmas dinner fried rice. This was amazing!! We made whole grain rice following the boxed instructions, and threw in thyme, sage and turkey stock into the water to help give it a "stuffing" taste. When that was done, we fried it over the stovetop on low heat with a drizzle of roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil (so it didn't stick to the pan!), and threw in our leftovers: turkey, broccoli, mushrooms, and stuffing (go easy on the stuffing! It's best as a "flavor pocket" kind of thing, not a main taste!). We were all fighting for the leftovers the next day for lunch!

4. Turkey taco-less taco bowls. Remember that recipe I posted for homemade taco seasoning? Well, we used that and mixed it with water and cooked it down into turkey, black beans, corn and shredded carrots. We took that mixture and topped it over whole grain rice that was also seasoned with onions and taco seasoning. We then ate it with salsa (I'm going to start making mine homemade!) and sour cream .. Yummm!!

5. Take that leftover turkey taco-less taco mix (without the rice) and stuff it into an omelette for another meal. We ate this for supper, served with homemade home "fries" .. Derek par-boiled potatoes (skin on for that extra fiber!), then tossed them with extra virgin olive oil and sautéed onions, then baked them until crispy .. So delicious. 

So those are some "outside the box" turkey leftover ideas for you!! Remember to watch your portion sizes as it's easy to overdo turkey dinners (I know I've got a pig out type of mindset when it comes to turkey dinners - it's deep-rooted from childhood!). Drink water between bites to help fill you up. Measure out everything and track it! You know I love My Fitness Pal! And make plans to exercise, even a light walk will help burn off dinner. 

I hope you enjoy! I know we did :)

First Post of 2015!

Happy New Year guys!!

Wow, I haven't updated in ages. So much has happened in these last couple of months! 

I'm happy and proud to announce that I have STAYED ON TRACK throughout the holidays!! I'm now 85lbs down!! 

My husband bought me that shirt for Christmas .. My very first Under Armour (and sure not to be the last!!). He bought me gifts that support my healthy journey - a thicker yoga / workout mat to help absorb impact on my tougher P90 workouts, the Skinnytaste cookbook (you all know how much I love Gina's website!), a Wonder Wonan coffee mug (she's so inspiring!), and a big bag of Epsom salts .. Which I've been using religiously, ha ha. 

I've set some pretty big goals for 2015. I'm determined to make this my year (after all, 15 flipped is 51, my lucky number! ... I know, I'm goofy!). I'm not big on achieving my resolutions but I've come to love hitting goals that I set, so here I go ..!

1. I want to hit my goal weight. While my journey has become SO much more than a number on a scale, I do still want to get to my goal. Verrrrry badly!! 

2. I want to run 3 5Ks. At least. I really love running and would love to add to my medal collection :) 

3. Do more things that scare me. As in, not letting my fears stop me from trying new things. For example, I've always been afraid of taking a group fitness class because I'm too big / out of shape / asthma / whatever and that ends now. I'm going to my sister's Zumba class tonight! 

4. Enroll for school. I want to work in the health and fitness field .. And it's time to get that going! Yes, I'm a coach with Beachbody and I LOVE it, but my dream is to work with kids with their health and nutrition. I'm so excited to get that ball rolling!

5. Clean up my eating! My eating habits have come a loooong way since I started my journey two years ago, but I feel I can do a lot better. I'm not going to cut out dairy or gluten or anything like that, but I would really like to reduce (even eliminate) added sugars and preservatives. Since I've been eating better, I've come to realize how much sugar bothers my body. I'll talk about that more in another post. My friend Tracey has really inspired me to start making better choices with what I'm feeding myself and my family and I'm excited to see what this year will bring to our kitchen! (Check out her blog journaling her clean eating journey: http://ichoosehappyblog.com ... It's so great!) I have already started by making our own homemade taco seasoning instead of store-bought! 

6. I want to start and finish PiYO, P90, the 21-Day Fix and Shaun T's Rockin Body! 

Anyhow, I know I'm rambling and I've actually got a few more goals that I'll be working on in addition to those, but maybe I'll save them for another post! 

I plan to get back to blogging more as well, so you'll be hearing more from me :) 

I hope you guys are having a great new year so far ... Did you set any resolutions or goals?