CTRL-ALT-DEL

It's been a week since I wrapped up the 3 Day Refresh.  Figured now would be a good time to share the results.  But I guess, it's not just about the results, but the whole process, right?  It should also be noted that I completed this 3DR during my anniversary weekend AND while there was a dangerous supply of molasses cookies in the house.  I don't want extra props for that---wait, yes I do.  Of course I do.  And you would too.  And I'd give them to you.  Those are some fierce obstacles to overcome.  Hands up if you agree.  That's RIGHT!!

Okay, so....the Refresh is hardly new.  It's not the "latest and greatest" from Beachbody.  It's been around for a while, and every now and again, it would whisper to me....taunting me to buy it.  It's not crazy expensive, and knowing how much I believe in every single Beachbody product I've ever tried, I wasn't sure what my hesitation was.  Other than being chicken. 

As we've established in other posts, sometimes I'm a ninny.  I over-complicate things that don't need to be so difficult and I get trapped in analysis paralysis from time to time.  This should not come as news to you (unless this is the first blog post of mine you've read, in that case, WELCOME!).  So, shockingly, I managed to build this up in my mind and push it off.

But then, I had another one of those "aha moments" and thought (a) why worry about failing, how about thinking about succeeding and (b) I sure would be fine with a few pounds and inches disappearing in a matter of days.  Yes even Coaches struggle on occasion (I know, I know--a glimpse behind the curtain, right!?) and need a little reboot.  The Refresh is perfect for that.  I had gotten a little off track and a little stuck.  Soooooooooooooo, I decided:  CTRL-ALT-DEL for my body it is!

I started the Refresh on a Friday which meant taking the process on the road.  Not too bad, really.  I do prefer my shakes blended, but I was willing to make do this one day.  Following the very detailed directions, I set off to make the most of these 72 hours.

What I did do:  Drink a lot of water, chug (and I mean CHUG like you're being paid to do so!) the Fiber Sweep, reallllllllllllllllly enjoy the scant amount of hummus I had with my red pepper, skip a snack because I wasn't paying attention (doh!), keep a sharp focus on my reason for doing this.  I also did very light workouts like yoga and light arm/core work during the 3 days, weighed in at the beginning, took my measurements (forgot pictures---dope!!) and kept "hangry" moments in check with decaf green tea.

What I did NOT do:  Live in the bathroom for 3 days, cheat on the meals, eat any of those blasted cookies, skip any other snacks (I mean, who does that!?), weigh myself during the process other than at the end, quit on myself, yell at Mark and the girls as they ate and drank normally in front of me (although I may have had a nasty thought run through my head once or twice, I won't tell).

Dinners were a super yummy (no, really) blend of veggies that I sauteed in a little bit of olive oil and garlic.  I sprinkled a little curry powder on them once and some Asian seasoning another time...delish.  Genuinely, I found myself making a mental note to add this side dish to the menu more often.  Lunch was the Vanilla Fresh, fruit, veggie and a healthy fat (I opted for hummus).  I still had my Shakeology, and even found that I liked it with water rather than milk!  I had a snack of celery with almond butter and plenty of water.

At the end of Day #3, I weighed in---actually, it was the morning of Day #4...I was down 5lbs and 2" from my hips and waist.  What I ALSO lost was that feeling of being stuck, of being frustrated, of not seeing results. I lost some cravings, bad habits and self-doubt. 
 

I felt a renewed sense of energy, I slept really well and woke up feeling a lot less stiff, groggy and generally blah.  I gained proper perspective and greater control over my choices. When it all comes down, that's what it's about, right--CHOICES.

Eat junk or don't.    
Exercise or don't.    
Skip meals or don't.
Try something new or don't.


Choices. 

This was one of my better ones and it's paying off. I'm pretty alright with that.  If you'd like to learn more about the Refresh, please let me know.  If you're a ninny like me and you're putting it off, I can assure you that it's not nearly as difficult as I made it out to be initially.  Seriously---I'm almost embarrassed to admit it! 

 

Discontinued No More!

Sooooooooooo, raise your hand if you've fallen madly in love with something and it's been discontinued.  A favorite nail polish.  A particular style of jeans.  A perfume.  A COOKIE.  Now we're getting serious.  I could find a new shade of red-brown for my fall nails.  I could suck it up and go with "the other" jeans.  I could even switch up my fragrance if left alone to select it (I'm talking to you, perfume sprayer ladies!).  But a cookie?  No.  That's just not right.

A few years ago, we made the unfortunate discovery of a cookie at the bakery of our local Costco.  It seemed like an innocent fall-y purchase at the time.  Until we tried them.  This is where it gets unfortunate.  They were good.  Like, "I'm not sure I could overstate it" good.  And, as everyone knows, you buy in bulk (duh!) at Costco.  So we had about 92,883,748,787,438,243 or so of these things in a plastic clamshell package.  Until we got to the car.  Where that number was immediately cut.  In half.

They were chewy.  They were sweet.  They were spicy.  They had a tiny but of crunch thanks to the sugary crust.  They.  Were.  Amazing.

And then---they discontinued them.  If this was a video blog, here is where you'd hear and see the gasp, horror and total shock that crossed my face when I learned of this unspeakable misstep by the bakers that be.  Rude and thoughtless, I tell you.

Fast forward to present day where I am juuuuuuuuuuuuuust about over the slight and have preeeeeeeety much come to grips with the fact that they're not coming back.  Ever.  Sigh.

Galloping into my life like a knight in shining armor, however---Pinterest and its infinite bevy of options.  And this recipe from a blog called (and I adore its name) Gimme Some Oven.

I hope you'll enjoy these as much as we did.  Okay...as much as I did---I really didn't share very well.  Shame on me.

Imagine this cookie with a mug of Constant Comment tea, an afghan and a great book.  Oh the beauty of it all....happy baking, happy fall!

What You'll Need:

• WILLPOWER!
• 1.5 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. salt

What You'll Do:

Say a prayer that you don't eat them all at once.
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and molasses, and beat on medium-low speed until combined. 

Gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture and beat until combined.

Roll the dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter.*

Fill a small bowl with sugar, and roll each ball in the sugar until it is completely coated. 

Place on cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart, and bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the cookies begin to slightly crack on top.  (They may crack more while cooling.)  

Remove from the oven and let cool for a minute or two. Then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
 
Serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to 1 week. (a week?  are you nuts?  these bad boys go FAST!)

*I found that it was helpful to chill the dough a little before rolling it into balls.  Maybe 30 minutes or so.

A Little Tex...A Little Mex...and a whole lotta YES YES YES

Alright, you asked for it and here it is.  A little gem I most likely found as I Pinned While Hungry (you all know how I love to do that!).  Good news is, this is a healthy PWH pin.  Win!!

I won't even give you a whole lotta preamble with this one.  I will, however, tell you that it made its way into the Make Again pile.  And "again" may be next week.  For real.  It was just that good.  And it made a TON!

Tex Mex Spaghetti Squash

Serves: 4-6

 

What You'll Need:

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1½ cups black beans
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1½ teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken - optional
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Oil

What You'll Do:Spaghetti Squash
Carefully cut spaghetti squash in half. Scrape out the seeds and stringy insides. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt. Place cut side down on a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until you can handle it. Turn squash over and use a fork to scrape across the squash short ways to make the spaghetti.

 

Everything Else

• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil or coconut oil.
• Add onions and jalapeno and saute a few minutes. Add garlic, bell pepper, salt, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Saute around 5 more minutes.
• Add corn and black beans (and chicken if using) and saute until heated through.
• Add spaghetti squash strands to skillet and carefully stir and toss everything together. Adjust salt and seasonings if needed.
• Transfer mixture into both halves of the squash or into an 8x11 glass baking dish.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

We added a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and a splash of salsa to the top before we devoured served ours.

Thank you, fromthiskitchentable.com!