Planes, Trains, and Automobiles....

Okay maybe just planes and automobiles.... unless you want to count the train between terminals at DIA.

It has been a while since my last post! I took off to Colorado for a few weeks to go home and visit family and take care of a few things- I was far too busy to keep up! 

I've officially made it just over a month into deployment and so far things are going well, though going home actually made me miss the husband even more because it felt like the old days when we had a long distance relationship.

I think it is really interesting how we can become accustomed to having multiple homes once we decide to take that first step out of our comfort zone. When I first moved to Hawaii I was freaking out- it is the furthest away I had ever moved from home and it felt so isolated. Now, only a few short months later, I love being here. 

Yes the beaches are beautiful, but I have really come to love my little daily routine (cleaning, working out, book clubs, teaching at the therapeutic riding center, dog walking...etc.) and my new group of friends are so supportive. They are truly going to make this deployment go by so much faster. 

Anyway, visiting home was wonderful and I fell back into my old routine just as easily, though it is much weirder now that my old group of friends are all graduating from college and starting their lives.

Such a pretty view isn't it? Among the time I spent between graduation parties and visiting friends and family, I got in some much needed horse time with my loves.

Aren't they just adorable? I can write a whole separate blog post about my adventures with these guys, but that is for another time.

I spent a great deal of time preparing our house for the next set of tenants, and I have to say I am so lucky to have such a great family that is willing to help me! (My dad is a contractor and was able to repair items and make a few updates, my brother cleaned up the yards and cut the grass, and my mom and I scrubbed the house and cleaned for 6 hours...)

I also took a mini trip with my mom and a couple of her friends to Saratoga Springs, WY for the hot springs! It was such a pleasant surprise in the a quaint little town!

I went shooting with my dad ( I'm getting to have a pretty good shot these days!) Went to WaterWorld with some old friends, and attended a Lindsey Stirling concert at Red Rocks. (She is an amazing violinist that also dances while she plays- I believe she was on America's Got Talent. Definitely check her out!)

But I had to share a picture from the scenery at Red Rocks. How can you beat a venue like this?

My time home went by insanely fast. I was sad to leave because I was going to miss my friends and family, plus my horses and of course my darling little rabbit (Isn't he fluffy and cute?) But I was also really eager to get back to my dogs and my little routine in Hawaii. It's amazing how we can be torn between two places but can consider them both to be home. (I'm sure all of my other military friends can relate- they have moved a lot more than I have!)

My adventure home definitely made me not feel very homesick. I had a two hour flight to LAX from Denver and was in a panic because I only had a 30 min connection, and of course the gate was super far away. I hurried over there to find that the plane had an hour delay due to maintenance. (Nothing like making you feel ready to fly knowing that something is wrong with your plane...) The wait time soon turned into two hours, and finally they canceled the flight because the plane wasn't fit to fly. A flight was coming in from Maui that would be able to take us back to Oahu...in 4.5 hours. (Yay for being stuck in LA!) I debated a number of things of what to do with my time, but I ended up being able to get on a flight standby a few hours later. 

In the mean time, this is what was going on at home.

 As luck would have it, a tornado touched down less than a mile outside of my home town (actually it landed right in front of our old house) and ripped through Longmont and Berthoud, which is not very common! There was also golf ball sized hail and flash flooding (which if anybody heard the news, 2 years ago Longmont and Lyons got demolished in a super rare flood) So it looks like the weather is changing in the area. Tornadoes are not common this close to the mountains- my loved ones are all okay but there are many in the area that got caught in the path. 

It's safe to say I'm glad to be back home in Hawaii! It is such great coincidence I was able to get on the flight before this thing hit, and that my flight in LA got canceled because the plane decided to malfunction.

Now that you all have been caught up on my whereabouts, I'm happy to say that I'm back home and will be back to my regular blogging of stories, recipes, dog training, and work outs!

Herbed Artichoke Chicken and Sweet Potato and Edamame Hash

These can be made together or separately! Both are equally delicious and make a lot of food.

Herbed Artichoke Chicken:

Below is the recipe from CrockPot- I actually have yet to be able to find quick cooking tapioca so I usually do the recipe without it. It turns out fine, though the broth isn't as thick. I also like to use different flavors of diced tomatoes. Garlic or basil is the best!

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can of drained, diced tomatoes

1 artichoke hearts (drained)

1 small chopped onion

1 cup of fat free reduced sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup kalamata olives (sliced and pitted)

1/4 dry white wine

3 tbs quick cooking tapioca

1 tbs chopped parsley

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp basil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients into crock pot, stir to blend. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours until chicken is cooked through.

Calories- 219 per serving

Protein- 18g

Carb- 13g

Saturated Fat- 3g

Sweet Potato and Edamame Hash:

I think I got this recipe off of the cooking channel once. It's super delicious and can be served hot or cold!

1 8 oz. package of diced ham

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbs olive oil

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1 minced garlic clove

1 12 oz. package of frozen shelled soybeans

1 12 oz. package of whole kernel corn

1/4 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

Here I used canned corned and drained it. Obviously you can use fresh corn as well- whichever is more convenient! I also used yams instead of sweet potatoes, because once again, I can't really tell the difference between the two! They taste very much the same, but I prefer the orange color of the yam =)

Saute ham and onion in oil over medium heat for 6-8 min, until ham is lightly browned. 

Stir in sweet potatoes and saute 5 min.. Add garlic and saute another minute.

Stir in soybeans and the rest of the ingredients. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 min while stirring occasionally.

The original recipe suggests serving this over a poached egg with arugula. I imagine that would also be very delicious!

And here is the end result: herbed artichoke chicken with sweet potato and edamame hash!

SkinnyMint Teatox Part 2!

I've officially completed the SkinnyMint 14 day Teatox!

I'm actually really going to miss this tea.

The night tea was my absolute favorite- I love ginger and I also feel like I got the most results. It does make you need to go to the bathroom (which is fantastic for me!) but its not the type of detox that keeps you on the toilet all day long. I feel much less bloated and more regular- after meals I feel full but not overly stuffed and full of water. Things are flowing so much better and I feel a lot cleaner.

I'm ready to try the 28 Day Teatox! My before picture was taken on a day after the gym when I actually wasn't super bloated (these are extremely rare days) but after the 14 day experiment my stomach is definitely flatter and feels a lot better. I highly recommend giving it a try!

Before teatox. On a great day when my stomach was actually no bloated (typically doesn't look like this!)

After teatox. A subtle change but this is how it stays for the most part- I don't bloat nearly as badly feel so much cleaner!

You can squeeze a lot of tea out of these little bags (two strong cups or three lighter ones) so use them up since it is a little more pricey. Also try to cut back on caffeine because the morning boost makes you feel pretty good- I took it too late in the day the first time and I was still wide awake by ten o' clock at night!

Beginning the Fitness Journey!

So I've always loved exercise. Riding horses, yoga, hiking, running, going to the gym etc. but I've never had a routine or a goal I was really striving for.

In Colorado we lived close to a trail so I started running (I've always been awful at it) and started progressively getting better at it. CSU also had a gym that I would go to once in a while but I would always just randomly use machines. When I first moved to Hawaii I was struggling with what to do with my time (having graduated and all) and was needing to blow off some steam and anxiety. I started going to our fitness center on base and have been progressively working towards goals since!

Learning to work out has been fun- and I still have a lot to learn. Pushing for goals is very insightful because you really get to understand how your body works. For example- it is really difficult for me to burn fat. I also compensate a lot of my weight lifting because I've been so used to protecting my bad knee. My digestion is awful and I'm always bloated. Among other things these have been my biggest realizations that I'm still working with! 

I started working out a couple times a week in February with goals to gain more upper body strength. I really want to be able to do unassisted pull ups some day (I was never even able to do the monkey bars when I was a kid because my arms were too weak and my joints are very loose and spongey!) I spent some time figuring out all of the different machines in the gym and what I liked or didn't like and my routine has definitely changed over a couple of months.

(The pictures on the left are when I started in February. The pictures on the right are the same swim suit now in May!) 














Pardon my awful shorts tan line haha.

 I'm happy to see a little bit of progress! Subtle changes are small win <3

It is important to keep a record of what you are lifting and how much so that you are always improving- other wise you go into a plateau and your body just kind of sits where it is at.  I have not been on the quest for weight loss at all, but I've been focusing on trying to tone and build muscle. 

I've also learned how important it is to take pictures of your progress because the scale can be extremely discouraging. I got one of those scales that measures muscle mass, water weight, and body fat and it makes me crazy because I fluctuate so much. 
Over this process I've actually gained about 4 lbs, which I would be fine with if my other numbers were where I wanted them as well. (Apparently my body fat has gone up and muscle mass has gone down!) but then I look at my pictures and I'm very happy with the progress that I see. 

As of right now I go lift weights every other day, run the days in between, and go to yoga once a week. I do assisted pull ups, curls, some core work, and I love squats (with the bar) I'm proud of my results at this point in time, but now I'm making these my new beginning mark so that in six months I hope to have made even more progress (part of my deployment goals is to be able to lift and run certain amounts!)

Here are the biggest keys that I've learned about fat loss:
1. Balance cardio and weight lifting. Too much cardio can actually give your muscles a softer appearance, while as too much weight lifting can make everything look bigger if you aren't losing fat at the same rate. You have to have muscle in order to be able to make it look more defined, however, if you aren't losing fat as quickly as you are building muscle you may just feel "bigger."
2. Diet is everything- as it always is. Eat several smaller meals a day to keep your metabolism boosted. Try to cut back on carbs and sugars and eat a lot of protein- protein is what will help you build muscle. Don't ever go hungry!
For example- I've made some changed such as brown rice instead of white rice, whole grain breads, low fat yogurts, etc. I try to pair and wheat carb that is slow burning paired with a protein. I'm trying to get more veggies in my diet and have fruits for snacks, and most importantly drink more water!
However, I don't short myself when it comes to certain things. Yes I make changes for a healthier lifestyle, but I am not as determined to be some of those people that never ever have sweets or carbs. (I'm at starbucks as we speak. Hah!) But I do try to keep things in moderation. I've definitely cut back on alcohol and almost never have soda if I can help it. I've replaced regular milk with almond milk- all these things make your body feel a lot better.
If you stop buying things like chips and sweets (which I love tremendously) then you can't eat them. If I do get ice cream I try to get a healthier option, such as Fro Yo, or as of recently I've been getting the flavored Yoplait Lights and adding a little granola. (Peanut butter granola and boston cream pie flavored yoplait is the bomb.)

Now I do all of these things, but I've actually gained a little weight and my body fat (according to the scale) has not budged, or goes up a little bit. The last thing I've learned is this:

3. Inflammation and survival mode
When your body is under constant stress from work outs your muscles undergo a lot of inflammation, which can cause your water weight to shift, and the body fat scale to read differently. Survival mode is when your body goes into stress and starts storing fat to "live off of" this is particularly the issues with women- our bodies are biologically made to store fat at all costs (go us. we can survive in the wild longer.) But it sucks when you are trying to lose it! The more we work out and diet, the more our body starts to panic and won't let go of that fat.

I'm thinking this is where I'm at because I work out almost every day and have a pretty decently healthy diet. I'm trying to incorporate a little more rest time, as well as cut down on carbs (I have a hard core carb craving in the evenings, which is a huge no no.) So I'm still working on all of this and figuring out- it makes you so much more aware of your body and how easy it is to not take care of it! 
So far we are week 1 into deployment. Let's see where I can get to in 6 months!