A little help from my friends

You know what’s fun?  Well besides binge watching Mad Men, or chilling by the pool in Mexico, or finding a bonus $10 bill in your pocket.  Connecting with like-minded, motivated, awesome friends!

That has hands down been the best part of this bumpy ride to healthy living for the past 8+ years.  Friends. 

Once upon a time I surfed around the internet and landed up on the Weight Watchers Online forums.  A gaggle of gals were in there chatting about everything under the sun and it became a super fun place to be.  Eventually some of the less-lovely people were weeded away and what I was personally left with was a group of women I am still glad to call friends to this day.  Some of us have met in person and some of us haven’t.  Some of us talk every day and some of us barely keep up with each other’s Facebook feeds.  But all of us are there for each other whenever we are needed.

Through those gals I discovered blogging, then Facebook, then Twitter, and most recently Instagram.  That little snippet of photos keeps us in touch without more than a few swipes of a smart phone.  What a world!

These friends have motivated me to be a better me.  They’ve helped me step outside of comfort zones, reminded me to keep hydrated, shared a zillion and one healthy recipes, and supported me when I’ve hit a rough patch or a down day.  Because of this awesome network of ladies (and a few gents) I’ve found a little niche of my own in this great big world. 

Lately these friends have become front and center again so it’s not surprising that my fitness and healthy diet motivation have kicked back in.  My online family has made it easier for me to branch out and find more like-minded friends in real life (oh hello bootcamp, and friends I’ve made there) and I have no fear discussing my dietary concerns with co-workers, my boyfriend and otherwise previously ‘scary’ people.

So thank you so much to all of my internet friends….those of you whom I have hugged personally and those of you who are the bestest invisible friends ever.  You are all the best! 

#EmbraceMonday

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the delay on the Embrace Monday post!  I have to admit that I took it easy yesterday after a busy weekend and ended up tackling my chores today instead.  Tuesday is this week’s Monday!

Thankfully it looks like lots of you found great ways to take on the first day of your week!  Lots of positive vibes going down yesterday!

Oh Ali I knew exactly how you felt.  I might have had a wee nap myself!

Nice work everyone!  Just snipping these Twitter screenshots has made me feel all motivated to keep up with the chores and get a workout in!  Thanks for that!

Today I did cleaned my fridge top to bottom, restocked yummy fresh groceries, cleaned the bathroom, tried to fix my own toilet (wrong piece), vacuumed and mopped floors.  My apartment thanks #EmbraceMonday even if it is Tuesday. :)

Have a great week kids!

#EmbraceMonday

Hey everyone!  I know today is Tuesday but sometimes you gotta shake things up (or you know, fall behind and re-evaluate!).  How was your Monday?  Did you set some goals and work hard to bang them out?

As usual I was already thinking about my week before Sunday was even over.  I have to admit that because I spend my weekends at my boyfriend’s I sometimes feel overwhelmed by chores and things I don’t have the opportunity to take care of on Saturdays and Sundays.  But I really don’t wish to sacrifice our time together so Mondays are now my go-to day. :)

Ya, that filing has been on there for two weeks now.  And it’s still on there.  Talk about a chore no one wants to do!

Looks like a few of you were joining in the #EmbraceMonday fun with me this week…

Love that people are catching on via my other Twitter friends!

Hope the rest of your week is just as fulfilling and fun!  Have a great one and see you back on Twitter next week to embrace another Monday!!

Embrace Monday!

Mondays get a bum rap.  Everyone is always all “booo, my weekend is over…I hate Monday”.  But really, isn’t Monday one of the best days of the week?  I’m not crazy…I promise!

Mondays can be great because they mark the start of something new.  A new day to start over.  A new day to keep going.  A new day to make plans.  A new day to kick some ass.  Mondays are motivating!!

Last Monday I started my week full of energy, enthusiasm and motivation to get things done!  While I got organized and started checking items off my to-do list I was tweeting my way through the day, and wouldn’t you know but other folks noticed my motivation and started tweeting back at me.  Turns out I’m not the only one that starts my weeks out with a positive bang!

Those tweets left me feeling warm, fuzzy and well…extra motivated!  All weekend I looked forward to my pending Monday morning (and I was having a great weekend too!).  My to-do list started forming in my head, I looked forward to writing out my workout plan, my meal ideas, my grocery list.  I looked forward to writing this post and sending out another batch of tweets to inspire and motivate not only myself, but all of my tweeps too!

So everyone, this is where you join in.

Let’s make #EmbraceMonday a real thing!  Every Monday I promise to keep tweeting about my day, my accomplishments, and whatever else fits in the motivation boat.  But in turn I need you all to do the same thing!  I will collect up your tweets each week and turn out a post full of positivity and encouragement to keep us all revved up for the rest of the week.

Sound good?  OK, great!  We have a deal!!

Starting next Monday morning send out your tweets with the hashtag #EmbraceMonday (you can find me @balanceblog if you haven’t already). 

Not on Twitter?

• Post a picture on Instagram (hashtag it, or tag me: bi0nicw0man)
• Leave me a comment on Facebook
• Send me an email (embracingbalance at gmail dot com)
• Leave a comment right here

Let’s make Mondays the happiest day of the week! 

{Note: Previous tweets by me were tagged #MotivatedMonday but it turns out that tag is already is use so I had to create a new hashtag for us.}

Hawaiian Style

Really people?  No suggestions?  I think maybe you are all asleep at the wheel enjoying your Summer.  :)  Seriously, INSPIRE ME!!!

As you read this post you'll see what I mean.  Little imagination going on here.

Coffee and a banana blueberry muffin.  OK, that's slightly creative in that I actually made those muffins last night. 

Lunch was a total cop-out.  In a struggle to find something with protein I grabbed the egg carton again.  Over easy on toast with herby cream cheese. 

  

At least I'm getting very good at frying an egg.  It's all about the non-stick pan and the awesome spatula I stole from my Mom.

And at least I introduced a different fruit.  Amazingly juicy and sweet cantaloupe!

I suppose the creativity it takes to turn cold coffee into iced coffee isn't something to be sneezed at.  The only problem I've found with French Press coffee is that often it's cold by the time I want my second cup...and I don't have a microwave.  So I poured it over ice and added vanilla Almond Fresh.  It ain't no vanilla soy milk (not creamy enough) but still did the trick.

Pre-workout snack...another muffin...this time with PB.

Tia tried to kill us again tonight at Group Training.  Apparently complaining about jump squats earned us extra varieties of squats and lunges this week.  I guess that's what we get for telling her we want to work on our booties.  :)

Crack hummus is back in da house!  All is right in my world again. 

A bite of toasted bliss held me over while dinner baked away.

The star of tonight's dinner show...purple carrots!  Local, fresh, crispy, and supah-fun colours!

Turned into carrot fries.  Simply quartered and tossed with a drizzle of olive oil, laid on a baking sheet, and sprinkled with s&p.  Baked at 375 for about 30 minutes, tossing a few times during cooking.

Veggies are just better when they are a fun colour!  Served alongside a store-bought treat.  "Hawaiian" Chicken Cordon.

Yup, that's a perfectly sized chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese, ham and pineapple.  Oh lordy.  I'd recreate it with less cheese, more ham and maybe some dijon for zing. 

Guess I did find a meal suggestion today!  No thanks to you guys. ;)

Inspire Me

Hey y'all.  My head has been in a bit of a weird space lately, hence the lack of inspiring posts (or posts at all!).  My apologies.  My food porn hasn't even been inspiring me lately!  Experience tells me this too shall pass though.  Hang in there. :)

Aside from unphotographed midnight snacking, here are some eats from the last few days...

Much of the problem stems from the lack of fun ingredients around the house.  Restocking the pantry and freezer has been much more challenging (and expensive!) than I expected.  Each time I have an idea for dinner it requires a trip to the market.  I'm exhausted...and broke!  Thus, I am eating the same thing a few days in a row which makes for pretty boring blogging!  and eating, truth be told.

Time for a menu planning blitz I think!  And how about some inspiration from you all?!! 

• What should I make? 
• What have I not made that you would like to see? 
• What have I made that you would like to see again? 

Do some digging and let me know!!