Clean Banana Bread

We have several things going on around these parts here lately. We have both boys signed up for spring baseball (which will begin sooner than I am ready), I am in a redecorating mood, and I am on a kick to get more produce in this house and less "shelf food". That being said: I made some pretty awesome "CLEAN" banana bread a few days ago. I got the recipe here (gotta give credit where credit is due)!

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Move it Monday: Sleighbells on the Square 5k

I am linking up with Ashley at The Domestic Wannabe for Move it Monday:

Well, I did it. I completed another 5k this past Saturday. I am still a little sore but nothing compared to yesterday. I did manage to get some lovely shin splints and I am looking into some compression sleeves as we speak. Amanda did the race as well and she did an amazing job! She surpassed her goal by far and I am so proud of her! Way to go girl!

I had set a goal for myself to finish in 45 minutes or less. I finished my first 5k with no preparation at right around 53 minutes. I had successfully completed the c25k program through week 4, which is not that far at all when you go to run an actual 5k. Especially when your treadmill does not have an incline setting at all. We DID have the flu and I have not trained very hard in the last two weeks due to that. BUT I am a firm believer in no excuses (I just wanted to lead up to the actual race).

I think I may have started out a little too fast. I am going to have to work on setting my pace for sure. I ran the entire first mile and I was then forced to slow down due to a coughing fit. :( The poor, sweet woman that had been steadily in front of me was kind enough to slow down around 1.3 miles and hand me a piece of gum. Bless her heart.

I also want to make sure that I make a better play list before our next race (which is January 15th). I set my phone on shuffle when the race started and let's just say that it is not very motivating to listen to Michael Buble's Christmas album when you are trying to motivate yourself to get up that hill! HA!

I am sad to say that I walked more than I would have liked to due to my lingering cough from being sick but I knew going into it that I was not far enough along to run the entire race anyway. I finally rounded the corner and saw the finish line (which was up hill btw) but I pushed myself to run all the way through it. My official time was 45:19. Not quite 45 or under but that 19 seconds doesn't really bother me.

It doesn't bother me at all actually. It doesn't bother me because I know I lapped everybody that was in bed that morning sleeping in. I did that race for me and I am proud to say that I was even able to complete a 3.2 mile race.

I am definitely loving that. I have been sore and let me tell you, that is the best feeling ever!

Amanda and I rode together but we met up with a few other girls also.

I am very excited for our race in January now. I hope to prepare myself more for the next one (Flu: STAY AWAY)!

Move it Monday 11-26-12

So, Thanksgiving week sucks for anyone trying to lose weight. Period. I am not going to pretend like I did amazing because I didn't. The truth? I cute myself some slack. My diet is something that I want so badly to be so good at. When life shoves Thanksgiving in your face I think you just have to throw your hands up and eat the darn food. Am I right? I have found that if I torture myself I always blow it. So I did Thanksgiving the right way. I did not bring home any left overs though. Yay me!

This past week I was on Week 4 of the c25k program. I usually do the c25k training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I only did Monday this week. We were super busy. I know, no excuses!
I think I am going to start week 4 over today. Wanna know what is crazy? I am signed up for a 5k on December 8th. I am on week 4 mind you. I am doing it with a pretty awesome group of girls. Most of them are way more experienced runners than I am. I have decided that I am just going to go at my own pace. I obviously do not intend to run the entire thing. I know that I can complete it distance-wise so I am down for it... I think :)

Source: womenshealthmag.com via Nicole on Pinterest

If you have any tips on really good tasting snacks or meals that are very low calorie, feel free to leave a comment. I am always looking for new ideas.

Linking Up:

The Domestic Wannabe

Move It Monday

Not much to post about. I did exercise. Only on the treadmill and not really enough. I didn't want THAT great, but not that bad. All in all it was an okay week.

I did have a stomach bug this Friday. My fever was 101.4 and I felt AWFUL! I have no excuse for the first four days of the week but Friday and most of Saturday was a doozy!

Maybe I could have pushed a little farther this week. When this is how you feel after the week it is not a good thing:

Source: anchorsaweightraining.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I did download a new calorie counter app called My Calorie Counter Pro. I started using it and love it. I plan on tracking everything! Exercise too. I really wanna start a reward system for myself. A reward for each of my goals. I hope to have a goal/reward chart for my post next Monday. Actually, I will have one because I am making that my current goal. HA!

I also signed up for a 5K to try and add some more motivation. It's the Hot Chocolate 15/5K. I am so excited! My BFF Amanda signed up also and we cannot wait! It is in January so that buys me some time to get ready.

~Nicole

Move it Monday!

This week has been busy, as usual. I did manage to get on my treadmill at some point every day during the week. I have lost zero pounds. I have to change my eating habits though.

We ate out A LOT this week. This week I am going to try and not eat out at all. It is so hard to do that when you have three kids and two that are involved in baseball. We are on the go constantly! Just tonight we have a ball game at six and a ball game at eight. Right smack in the middle of dinner time. AH! I am making a grocery list today and I hope that my family doesn't kill me for getting some healthy dinners!

I do love the treadmill though. It is so convenient. I can watch my shows while doing it and I love that. I may watch too much tv. There are some days though when I just want to get outside too. Maybe a nature walk with the kids is due. We went to the pumpkin patch with the kiddos and they had an awesome nature trail. I loved every second of this:

Another thing I have to work on is going to bed early. I am so bad about saying I am going to bed at a decent time and staying up until midnight. I guess since I run for everybody all day I feel like when they are all asleep is my only "ME" time.

Anyway, her are some pins I liked this week:

Source: spoonfuloffit.com via Nicole on Pinterest

This is exactly what I need to do!

Source: theruniverse.com via Nicole on Pinterest

LOVE this. I am finally a proud iphone owner.

Source: google.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I know this is jumping the gun a little, but I would seriously love to do this in 2014!!

Here's to a better week!

Linking Up:

The Domestic Wannabe: Move it Monday!

~Nicole

Determination!

I have posted numerous times about how I would love to be skinny. I would. There's no changing that. I feel like I am setting myself up for failure every time I say that. I mean, who expects to walk for a few weeks and drop six sizes?

New goal: Be fit. Be in shape. Be able to get in the yard and run around with my kids. Be able to have the energy to keep up with them. Maybe my problem all along has been that I am too focused on pouting about how I LOOK and not worrying about how I feel and how it may affect others.

My bestie over at The Williams Farm has totally motivated me. She is seriously dedicated now and loving it. I am loving that she is, because she sends me things like this:

 I really do love walking/running and I love the c25k program. I have an awesome free app on my phone. It seems that every time I get a day and get going on it though I never finish. I am seriously not making excuses but it is impossible to work out like I want to when I have all of the kids with me. My one year old is fine in a stroller but my five and eleven year olds are not so easy to walk with. Sure, a leisurely stroll is great but they are not very c25k motivated if you know what I mean... it's just impossible. Correction: WAS impossible.

I purchased this baby yesterday. It's not top of the market but she gets the job done. I just finished my first workout on it. I set it up in the hub's man cave. He is thrilled (HA)! I did it because there is a tv in there and I just know I will not feel so guilty about watching all of my tv addictions if I am on this baby!

Linking up:

Move it Monday @ The Domestic Wannabe

I still have several days worth of Disney pictures to post. This time of year I always have a lot to post about so here's to hoping the kids give me the time to get it done!

~Nicole

Move It Monday: April 16, 2012

Move it Monday is back! I have decided that my computer time will be focused more on my blog from here on out. I love looking back on older posts and it reminds me why I wanted to start doing it in the first place. Here goes the first Move it Monday in a while...

Since New Years Day I have lost a total of.... drum roll.... THIRTY pounds! I am completely shocked. I still have quite a way to go but words cannot describe how this feels. Thirty pounds is a huge difference to the person that usually stops at five or ten. Especially when you are wearing jeans that you did not fit into for the entire year before I got pregnant with Paisley. WAHOO!

I have looked back at my list of rewards I posted about here. I have yet to go and buy myself some cute workout gear. I have not been to Victoria's Secret to get a super cute sweatsuit either. I figure it is too hot for one now and I will wait until Fall rolls around and maybe I'll be even smaller.... I DID score myself a pretty sweet water bottle though. It's a CamelBak. The kids got the same kind for baseball. I think my husband almost had a stroke when he saw how much I spent on three water bottles, but they are soooo worth it. I love my water bottle and take it everywhere I go. I literally do not leave the house without it. Mine is purple, my favorite color.

I have still been watching what I eat. I eat smaller portions at meals and snacks and have a TON of water. I do not deprive myself though. If we go to a family function or holiday celebration with cake, I eat a small piece instead of two pieces. If I have a craving for some of the kids Oreos (which is a lot less often than it was before), I eat two and feel so much better than if I would have tried to fight the feeling and ate way more than I should in the long run. This method seems to work MUCH better for me. We just planted our vegetable garden yesterday so I am excited to get cooking!

I do workout. When I can. If I miss a day, I do not beat myself up. While the boys are at school Paisley and I have enjoyed some great walks. She loves the outdoors so this is a perfect activity for us. We started c25k also. Gets the heart rate up. I am loving my jogging stroller more and more. Just keeping up with all three kids and their activities is a workout in itself.

I am going to be bold again and share some pics I am pretty proud of. It doesn't look like a huge difference, but I sure can tell.





Front and side views.



This was me in December of last year and then at the beginning of April.

Source: helpwithweightloss.org via PuraOgrady on Pinterest

I love this.

Linking Up:









Til next Monday...

Move It Monday: February 6, 2012

I finally can spread some good news. I lost two pounds this week. YAY me! My husband and I started the Power 90 workouts and it has been pretty fun working out with him. I was surprised at how fun. We purchased a seat for the baby for the back of his bike so I am hoping there is much more family fitness in our near future.

The kids both start baseball tomorrow night. Which means our lives are about to be turned upside down. Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way. The great thing about the park they play out of is the awesome walking track. They just repaved it too. Paisley and I are gonna tear it up.

Source: curvecreation.tumblr.com via Nicole on Pinterest

We did slack yesterday in the food department. Cagney made some of his wonderful honey BBQ wings and I made some spinach dip. It was the super bowl, give us a break! At least we were watching someone be active while we ate it? Does that count?? HA!

Not very much of an update today. We are super busy this week, I have a ton to get done. Hopefully I will have more next Monday.

I leave you with this question: Have any of you tried zumba? Yeah, yeah I know I am the only one that hasn't probably, but did you see a difference? Class or just a DVD? Thanks! :)

Linking Up:






~Nicole

Move It Monday: Januray 30, 2012

This week has been alright. Nothing wonderful, nothing horrible. Better than last week. We have been doing some home improvement projects and my husband got kidney stones, so it was a little crazy. We did great on food until this weekend. My nieces birthday party was Saturday and we ate out every meal on Sunday. Awesome.

We have the Power 90 DVD and I have started it before but never finished. My husband wants to do it with me this time. He wants to start tomorrow (baseball coaching meeting tonight), but I wanted to start today. I don't know what it is but I have had the annoying dull pain in my left arm since yesterday around 4 pm. Almost like I strained it but I don't know how. So I am unsure if I will begin today or not.

Source: letsmakeahealthiertomorrow.tumblr.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I am also doing the c25k program. I just started last week. I did day one and then hubs got kidney stones so I had no one to watch the kids to do the other days. He seems to be feeling better now so maybe this week I can get going on that some more.

I have to say, I battled between getting a chicken biscuit this morning and making myself a bowl of Special K (my son's school is right near a Chick fil A). I opted for the Special K. Yay me!! Baby steps... ;)

I have discovered a few motivating songs to work out to. Thought I would share. Maybe we can all share our running playlists one day soon?

1. Til I Collapse (Clean of course)- Eminem
2. Boom- Nelly
3. Party Rock Anthem- LMFAO
4. Firework- Katy Perry
5. Single Ladies- Beyonce

I am not a big rap fan, but Eminem pumps me up. He has such a dirty mouth though. I have to get the clean versions of course. I have three kiddies with me always.

I'll leave you with this:

Source: reasonstobefit.tumblr.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Linking Up:




Til Next Monday!

~Nicole

Move It Monday: January 23, 2012

I gained a pound this week. I am ashamed to even type that. It's nobodies fault but my own. I let too many "excuses" get in my way. After I made my goal list and vowed to meet goal one within two weeks I feel like a failure. I know you are not supposed to feel like a failure, it happens to everyone, blah blah... well, I do anyway. I feel like a failure because I want to lose weight more than I have ever wanted to complete ANYTHING in my life and I let myself down.

We installed hardwood in our kitchen all weekend. It was complete chaos and we had no table or anything. I let the simple fact that it was "easier" to order take out get the best of me. All I had to do was move some stuff around and I could have reached the stove. I also caved and had birthday cake at my Grampy's 73rd birthday party last night. smh.

I have my water jug ready to go. I am walking today rain or shine. It has been raining an awful lot the last several days. Paisley and I are headed to the grocery store this morning and I am not even going down the center aisles. I am going to have a good week. Even if it kills me!

This picture was a slap in the face for me. This is exactly what I need to remember:

Source: blackfitness.tumblr.com via Karlene on Pinterest

I am off to make my inspiration poster I never got around to making this week. Imagine that. Are we seeing a pattern here??

Linking Up:






Until next Monday...

~Nicole

Move It Monday: January 16, 2012

Well, this week was okay I guess. I didn't go walking or anything. At all. So I feel like a giant loser. It is very true that you will never ever regret running that mile. On top of that, we had Monster Jam this weekend and of course fell of the food bandwagon. We ate some things that we should not have... and might have drank some things we should not have also.... hehe. I am down four pounds now, so that is one pound this week. I guess I can be happy with that. Much to my surprise, it's something and not nothing. I did a goal list for myself so maybe this will help to motivate me:

10 pounds: Water Bottle (this sounds so small, but I want a NICE really good bottle to take with me on walks and runs. Not just one that my husband brought home from his company picnic.)

20 pounds: Cute workout gear of some sort. Don't want to say pants because I don't plan on stopping at 20 pounds. Maybe some cute sports bras and tops... or a cute jacket or watch...

30 pounds: Super cute sweats from Victoria's Secret. I love their college line but can't bring myself to spend that much.

40 pounds: New yoga pants, and probably a new swimsuit. AHH, we shall see.

50 pounds: New running shoes. I like the ones I have now but have my eye on a super cute pair already...

60 pounds: Zip lining trip with my honey. I have always wanted to do this and so has he. ALSO, new jeans for sure. Maybe some cute dresses... and I have my eye on some precious cowboy boots....

I know this is A LOT to lose but I really want to do this. I NEED to do this. Six more pounds til I can get my water bottle. WOOT! :)

Source: fuckkbeingfatt.tumblr.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Goals this weak are to eat better and get back on track with my food. Grab some of those carrots to munch on instead of something else. I already made a batch of my favorite new snack. You can find the recipe here.

Source: Uploaded by user via Nicole on Pinterest

I also plan on drinking half my body weight in ounces per DAY. That is a ton of water but I can do it. When I purchased this in Florida this summer, everyone thought I was nuts. Looks like it will come in handy after all. This bad boy holds 100 ounces of water. It's HUGE.

I WILL get my exercise in this week. I don't care if I have to run my stairs every morning and night. I am convinced I need a treadmill so I can have something to do while I watch The Biggest Loser. I feel like such a lump sitting on the sofa while I watch these people puking their guts up with Dolvett and Bob.

Source: google.com via Kristi on Pinterest

I am also setting a goal for myself RIGHT NOW that in the next two weeks I will have my water bottle! No doubt. I CAN do this. Ten pounds total, two weeks: WATCH OUT!!

Good luck to you all. What are your goals this week? Do you have a goal list?

Linking Up:







~Nicole

Move it Monday

Well, this week I managed to make some.... progress! I lost three pounds. Doesn't seem like a whole lot but that is a huge accomplishment for one week. My husband and I have been on the same meal plan (I say meal plan because I REFUSE to call it a diet). We have had grilled fish. grilled chicken, salads, fajitas, tons of veggies, and of course fruit. I think apples are my favorite go to snack. Or a banana right after a work out. YUM! It hasn't even been that hard. I mean, yes I wish I had a cookie sometimes, but I go have a yummy energy bite and I am set (I am totally going to do a post on them because they are the best snack EVER, so stay tuned). So awesome. Of course Cag has managed to lose 8 pounds this week. Go figure, the man loses more. He also cut out tea and Mt Dew so I am convinced a lot of that was bloat. I was already drinking just water.

We went on a walk with some friends. Cagney was nice enough to fix the front wheel on my jogging stroller and I have a feeling this stroller is going to get a ton of use. I have the baby trend one from Target and I love it. Paisley loves it too because even though she is only four months old, she would much rather be sitting up in this than strapped backwards in her car seat in the other stroller. She loves the outdoors and looking around...

We also went to the ball field. We are very fortunate that we live about five minutes from here. They have a track that goes around the fields and it is so nice for walking. They just repaved it too so I was so excited to try it out. Cagney worked with the boys on their baseball skills...

Her first trip to the ball field wore her out...

This week I am going to make a list of goals. I plan on listing a reward for myself once I meet each goal. I cannot wait to share this next Monday.

I also plan on continuing our "meal plan" just as we have. We do not live close to a Whole Foods at all, but I do have a Dr appointment tomorrow afternoon so I plan on visiting the one that is close to it. I am very excited about that!

I plan to walk every day that the weather allows me to with Paisley. If the weather will not allow me too, there are other methods of exercising. I do have stairs. I also have the Tone it Up website for their awesome youtube videos.

Linking Up:




Fitness Friday @ Fitness, Health, and Happiness

Til next Monday...

~Nicole