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Throw Back Thursday

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I seem to be one of the few people left in [social-media aware] society that doesn’t practice in the art of posting about Throw Back Thursdays.

So, what exactly is “Throw Back Thursday?” A toast to the past? A reflection on who/what we were in years gone by? Or is this just something Radio Jockeys use as an excuse when they’re tired of playing the same 40 songs over and over and want to mix it up a bit?

Well, since I don’t want to miss the boat on the tradition, here’s a little throw-back for you –

This is me - at age 16. Yeah. I was probably right around 195-200 lbs at this point in time.

This is me – at age 16. Yeah. I was probably right around 195-200 lbs at this point in time.

Yup. Just a little over one decade ago, this was my every day. This is right around the time in my life where I was a devout Mountain Dew enthusiast and would come home and prepare my “pre-dinner” – AKA, a family-sized portion of pasta salad or mashed potatoes that I’d eat before my family got home to have a real dinner.

A lot of people ask me why I keep some of these pictures around. This photo is actually in a drawer in my kitchen, which is where I’ve kept it in the last three homes I’ve lived in. I do it as a reminder of the person I once was: unhealthy, self-deprecating, and a little lonely.

While that may seem a bit morose on my part, it reminds me that every day I wake up, I get to make a decision. Well, several decisions actually:

Will I be happy or will I be sad?

Will I nourish my body or will I punish it?

Will I seek out the positive or dwell in the negative?

There’s something about looking at your past that makes the decisions of your future seem significantly easier.

So, Happy Throwback Thursday everyone. It’s time to make the most of the present and plan for the future.

Bon Appetit,

~ Tori

 

Spicy and Savory Brussels Sprouts – Paleo Recipe!

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Last year, my husband and I vacationed with some friends at a hotel down in Miami. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but the hotel featured a steakhouse that served the most delicious, most decadent side dish I’d ever had: Roasted Mustard Brussels Sprouts.

I know, I know. How can I use “delicious” and “Brussels Sprouts” in the same sentence? I’m one of those weird people that has ALWAYS loved them, but even my husband, an avid veggie hater, couldn’t stop enjoying these suckers. We personally ate two orders of them ourselves and shared a third order as an appetizer with the table.

I’ve tried to mimic the recipe and never gotten it perfect… until tonight. And, amazingly, I made my version in the lightest way possible AND kept it Paleo-friendly.

Here’s the recipe I concocted this evening:

INGREDIENTS:

  • One pound Brussels Sprouts, raw.
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup onion flakes
  • 1/2 horseradish mustard
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup Daiya “mozzarella” cheese
  • 1 tsp yellow curry powder

 

PREPARATION:

  • Boil the Brussels Sprouts in salted water [salt to your preference] with 1/2 of the garlic powder mixed into the water. I boiled mine for about 15 mins, until the Brussels Sprouts were bright green and still a little firm.
  • Drain the sprouts and then put them in an oven-safe baking dish.
  • In a small bowl, mix the almond milk, cheese, mustard, onion flakes, garlic powder, and remaining garlic powder into a thick sauce. Pour over the Brussels Sprouts, stir to coat, and pop into the oven on BROIL [500 degrees] until you see them getting nice and browned, approx 5-7 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool for a moment or two, then stir to redistribute sauce and serve.

 

Seriously, even veggie-haters will enjoy this dish – it’s surprisingly low in calories and BIG on taste! The original we had at the restaurant in Eden Roc was made with lots of butter and probably other loaded ingredients, but this version came amazingly close to the same flavor for far less damage.

Enjoy and feel free to give feedback on any substitutions you try out!

Bon Appetit,

~ Tori

 

Simple Paleo Protein Shake

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In an effort to get back into a healthy regimen, I’ve been forcing myself to eat breakfast every morning. I’m normally a cup-of-coffee and go kind of lady, but I realize the importance of getting some protein and fiber in before running out of the house. Breakfast is crucial to jump-starting your metabolism in the morning, so my habit of skipping breakfast over the last few weeks is likely the main contributor to my recent weight gain [up 3 lbs!] and voracious hunger in the evenings.

Since I’m all for simplicity, I’ve been making the following protein shake for breakfast every morning:

  • 1 cup Blue Diamond, unsweetened almond milk – 30 calories
  • 1/2 cup organic frozen blueberries – approx 25 calories
  • 1 level scoop of Optimum Nutrition 100% Egg White Protein Powder – 120 calories
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon – 0 calories
  • 1/2 tbsp organic vanilla extract – 0 calories
  • 2 tbsp raw, organic cocoa powder – approx 25 calories
  • 1 heaping cup of ice [if preferred]

Blend this all together for about 30 seconds [total prep time is less than 2 mins] and enjoy! I’ve had this exact recipe for breakfast the last three days in a row and I’ve REALLY enjoyed it. I drink it around 8am and don’t get hungry until after 12pm. Yesterday, I didn’t eat lunch until 1:30pm, as I felt totally full all morning. Normally I find myself grazing for snacks by 11am, so that’s a pretty huge testament to the filling power of this shake.

Of course, you’re welcome to make substitutions to this to suit your tastes. One good substitution is to remove the berries and add two heaving tablespoons of instant coffee and a handful of Enjoy Life non-dairy, non-soy chocolate chips! I swear, when I do this, the finished product tastes just like the Jamocha Shake from Arby’s. Yum!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

The Wagon

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Have you ever fallen off the wagon so hard you’re not exactly sure how to get back on?

You sit there on the ground, dazed and confused, not quite sure what happened. You’re bruised, you’re shocked, but – most of all – you’re disappointed that you let it happen.

Yeah, that’s me right now.

Just three weeks ago, I celebrated the fact that I had squeezed into my bridesmaid’s dress for my brother-in-law’s wedding. I had blogged consistently the weeks [months] leading up to the goal. I held myself accountable. And, damn it, I made it happen. I achieved my goal, despite all of the obstacles leading up to it.

The second that zipper went down, the horse must have bucked or something, because I FLEW off that wagon and haven’t been able to spot it since.

Did I mention I had pasta and a heath bar for dinner last night? Yeah. Where the $#@! did that wagon go?

Despite my utter disgust with myself right now, I can’t see to find the motivation to fix it.

Fortunately, years of dieting has ingrained some good habits into me, regardless of the fact that my wagon is off on the Oregon Trail or something right now.

I pack lunch, which normally consists of a salad or a lean cuisine. I keep raw almonds and protein bars at work. Dinner, of course, is another story. One that I’m too exhausted/depressed to tell at the moment.

I’m in a funk. Can someone show me the way back to my happy place? I could use a trail guide right about now.

In the trough of my wave,

~ Tori

It fit!

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By some miracle of God [and a few last minute workouts], the bridesmaid’s dress FIT on Sunday night! YES!

I'm only taking shallow gasps of air, but it zipped!

I’m only taking shallow gasps of air, but it zipped!

When I purchased it, I was a solid 1 & 1/2 inches away from being able to zip it. One week before the wedding, it was about 1/2 an inch. The night before – AKA, the last chance I had to buy an alternate – it zipped all the way up!

I definitely learned my lesson about procrastinating, however, as the stress I was feeling over fitting into the dress nearly negated the elation I felt when it zipped. Crash diets and intense workouts are not good on my body or my emotional well-being, so I will make sure I either buy a dress that FITS off of the rack or plan my exercise/diet regimen more realistically for an event.

Regardless, the dress fit, the wedding was SPECTACULAR, and I now have a new sister who will soon be recruited for workouts. Life is pretty good. I have no complaints. I need to stress less, love more, and STOP WATCHING THE SCALE.

I’m working on it. One day at a time.

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

 

One Week

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OK.

I’m officially one week away from my brother-in-law’s wedding.

That means I’m officially one week away from wearing my bridesmaid’s dress, which wouldn’t zip the last 1/2 inch when I tried it on two weeks ago.

I wish I could say I’ve been sticking to a diet and exercise plan over the past two weeks, but I most certainly have NOT. Between moving into our new place and celebrating our wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I have been eating horribly. I’m terrified at the thought of trying on the dress tonight, as I’m fearful it might be tighter instead of looser.

I have a game plan.

  • Starting tonight, I’m going to do 60-90 minutes of cardio every day. Without fail.
  • In addition, I’m going to try and spend about 10-15 mins in the gym’s sauna to shed any excess water weight I’m clinging to, which I doubt is much, but it’s worth a shot.
  • I’m going to stick to coffee and fruit for breakfast this whole week, a salad for lunch, and just a lean protein with green veggies for dinner. Normally I aim to be more balanced, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
  • If, by Thursday, the dress is still tight – I’ll have a body wrap scheduled for Saturday. I normally avoid these because they are expensive and only provide short term [approx 6 weeks] results, but they do work to shed inches, quickly, so I can squeeze in the dress. I actually did this before my best friend’s wedding last spring and my dress went from being SUPER snug to comfortable and loose after just one wrap.

So, here goes. I’m surprisingly good at staying on track when I have a VERY tight deadline to meet, so let’s see how much damage I can UNDO over the course of this week. Otherwise, I might be out shopping for a replacement bridesmaid’s dress the night before the wedding.

*GULP*

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Best Workout? MOVING!

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Last night, my husband, a team of three professional movers, and I managed to take the contents of our 3/2, third floor condo and move it into our 3/3.5 three story townhouse.

It took SIX HOURS.

Six hours for 5 people, all in relatively good shape.

Up and down three flights of stairs. Over and over and over again.

I’m exhausted. My legs are so tight, it hurts to walk to the bathroom. My shoulders and arms are so sore, it’s challenging to lift my laptop.

Moving is officially the most strenuous endeavor I know. Fortunately, we’re done. The house, though messy and still full of boxes, is relatively put together. Furniture is on the correct floor, gigantic marble tables are in one piece, and my quads are screaming like they realized they won the lottery and threw away their ticket.

I hope to never do that again. I don’t care if my husband and I have a HERD of children, this is our FINAL home. We’ll invest in bunk beds [free delivery and set-up, of course], and just stack the children into the bedrooms before I ever consider getting another house.

How do people do this so frequently? I have friends that move every 1-2 years. I can’t imagine going through this torture more than 2-3 times in a lifetime. Granted, I moved a lot during college, but I also lived out of plastic Tupperware containers and the heaviest piece of furniture I had was a coffee table from Ikea. Big difference.

On a positive note, I finally unpacked my scale. Going four days without a weigh-in was both glorious and freeing, but I was beginning to panic about the “unknown.” Like I said in my previous post, I normally weigh myself multiple times throughout the day. Going more than 72 hours without a weigh-in was just… strange.

Down 2.6 pounds.

Huh. I’ve been living on take-out and missing the gym, but somehow my weight has gone down and my jeans are starting to loosen up again.

I guess moving truly is the best workout around.

Not that I ever plan to do it again… but it’s good to know.

On that note, time to go grocery shopping and stock this place up with HEALTHY goodies!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Scale, be gone!

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A very interesting thing has happened.

In packing and moving this past week, I accidentally packed up the digital scale from the bathroom. Since we’re not officially moving into the new place until next weekend, I had planned to keep it out and visible until the last day, as it’s essential [for me] to know where I stand with my weight.

But yeah. It’s gone.

I’ve gone the last 24 hours without a scale. For most people, that’s not a very long time. How many times does the average, healthy person weight themselves? Once per day? Once per week? Only at regular check-ups at the doctor’s office?

For me, it can be five to six times per day.

Depending on what I ate [or didn’t eat] that particular day, it could be so much more.

At the minimum, I weight myself every morning. It’s the first thing I do. Before brushing my teeth, before giving my husband a kiss, I step on the scale.

Those three to five seconds before my weight registers are so stressful.

Will today be a good day?

Those little numbers light up on the digital screen, either validating my existence or telling me that I’m the lowest, most vile and disgusting human being to every walk the earth.

It’s amazing what numbers can do.

Well, for the last 24 hours, I’ve been scaleless. Due to my own accidental placement during a packing frenzy, I’ve freed myself, if only temporarily, from my in-house judgment.

I got up this morning, in my usual hazy stupor and trudged to the bathroom, only to see that little shadow on the tile floor where the scale used to be. So, instead of my morning ego-check, I climbed back into bed, snuggled with my husband, and thought about my plans for the day.

No stress.

No superficial joy.

No hate for myself, manifested by little black numbers on a backlit LED screen.

It was a very freeing experience. While I don’t trust myself to be able to give up the scale permanently, I don’t think I’ll be in a rush to unpack it. I kind of liked this… normal… morning.

Hmmmmmmm. Now what’s for breakfast?

Bon appetit,

~ Tori