Healthy Eating as a Mommy with Kiddos to Feed.

Hello out there!!!! Wow it has been a while. I can safely say that my life is crazy busy, in a good way though. I can safely say that you can not count on my blog being consistent haha (I have about 5 drafts in my blog list of unfinished posts sorry:). However, I do still have my faithful lovely ladies that still follow me on Instagram and Facebook! I have had a few emails on my workouts and my cooking and eating healthy as a mom with small children. So here I am, it's what I do best, impromptu, typing as I go and what comes to my head at the moment! Here I go........... :) 

If you follow the millions of Fitness Instagram and Facebook accounts then you'll see a lot of them counting macros, and calories, and a oh so very strict diet. This is all excellent and it takes time, dedication, and a lot of planning. As a mom especially a mom like me (poor planner here), well I put my macros counting at the bottom of the priority list and these days seem to be shortening with every new day that comes. However, I will never put clean healthy eating on the bottom of my list. I try to stick to the rule that I learned from my girl Jillian Michaels. "If it didn't come from the ground, or a momma don't eat it!" She uses Cheetos as a example of both not having a mom or came from the ground :) with all that being said. I do cheat on that rule and still drink protein shakes, and I love Quest Bars, ClifBars, and all those yummy go to snacks when I need a quick fix. Also keep in mind that it is very important to have a proper balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Over my 4 year journey I have found what works best for me. I do recommend downloading My Fitness Pal app and logging everything you eat and drink to get a good idea of what you are putting into your body.

So lets get to a typical day. 

Morning
Plain Oatmeal with a scoop of cookies and cream protein. 

AM Snack
Normally after my workout I will have a post recovery protein shake sometimes with a banana in it. 

Lunch
Chicken Breast over baby spinach with home made salsa as dressing. Sometimes sliced avocado

PM Snack 
Quest Bars or CliffBar or some sort of bar if on hand because this is school pick up times and running errands. If I have good left overs sometimes I'll have a small portion of this also.  

Dinners
I believe in eating dinner with my family every night and that my children should be eating close to what I am eating for dinner. I am not going to make them mac and cheese while mommy eats chicken and veggies. 

We eat a lot of the same recipes every week but I try to only make the dreaded Chicken and Veggies one night a week. I love to use shake and bake and I cut it up for the kids and tell them it's chicken nuggets it works :) 

We also use ground turkey a lot! Turkey Meatloaf is one of my faves because I can hide 3 whole zucchinis in there or a whole bag of baby spinach without the kids batting an eye about the green stuff :) 

Friday nights I love to make Turkey burgers because my husband can grill them and I love adding jalapenos in mine. I do buy the hubby and kids whole grain, whole wheat buns for theirs but I wrap mine in lettuce. 

Ground Turkey spaghetti is also one of my faves. I have mine over chopped baby spinach and the kids and hubby have whole grain whole wheat noodles you can also hide veggies in the sauce of your choice. Baby Spinach is my fave for hiding in things.

Left overs are also great for lunch the next day. I seriously throw everything over a bowl of baby spinach and it's always good!! 

I have many more dinner ideas that I hope to share soon but for now I hope this helps get you by for a little while. Don't ever be afraid of trying new things and subbing things in the kitchen. I have a few pics of these recipes in my iEat tab. 

Hopefully I will have some daily workouts up soon and more recipies. Flex it Pink is taking a majority of my time which is something that I love doing! If you haven't checked it out please do so. There are some pretty awesome ladies in this group and we are doing some amazing fun things with fitness. Always working on making momma strong so that we can be happy and healthy to raise happy and healthy children. 

Make sure to follow it all on Facebook and Instagram. 

Instagram

@elishaVfitness

@flexitpink

Facebook 

www.facebook.com/elishaRunRunRun

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Much Love and support

XOXO

Elisha

Fitness Magazine WOW!

It has been a crazy hectic week!!! but I really needed to come on here and post a HUGE enormous THHHAAAANKKKKKKKK YOU!!! To every single one of you! I am truly touched by all the amazing comments, and emails, and support that I have received about the feature in Fitness Magazine!

 

 

It was a honor to be able to have this opportunity and I am humbled, by the out pour of support from everyone! I am in tears by the happiness that I feel and the words that I read from everyone in their support, encouragement, and inspiration. I really have no words for this surreal moment in my life. But I am truly thankful and blessed.

Well I will have a new post up for y'all hopefully tomorrow because I have been seeing some crazy stuff at the gym lately and I need to get it off my chest :) I'll be back tomorrow y'all!

XOXO

Elisha RUN RUN RUN

Why I LOVE NFL Football, and Never watch the games.....

Ahhhhhhh NFL season is among us. That means fall is approaching. Cooler weather starts, we can pull out our pumpkin décor, pull down our boots from our closets, throw blankets are on the couch, and sip on our pumpkin spice lattes, and Sunday's with our husbands no longer exist until the NFL season is over.

Now my husband is not the rare breed that does not watch NFL football, and I am not the rare breed of women who love watching football. My husband not only watches his beloved Dallas Cowboy football games, but he is in two, yes TWO fantasy football teams (I'm talking serious stuff here, like they had their draft party in Las Vegas and bought their players thru auction $$$). This means he watches football ALL day long every game, red zone, Thursday night football, Sunday all day, and Monday night. To cheer on all his fantasy players with his friends. His text messages are going off during all the games. Why do I love that you ask?

For one, I am not going to stay at home and do my "wifely" duties while he sits on the couch all day. I have piles of laundry in the dryer, on top of the dryer that need to be folded and put away. I can vacuum, dust base boards, and dance around naked in the house if I wanted too but my husband would never appreciate that because he would never notice with his eyes glued to the television. Ha! Ok he might notice the last one :)

So I take this day to do whatever the heck I want. Go hiking with my girlfriends because their husbands are doing the same thing, go on long runs, go shopping because the husband just agreed to it not even knowing, because they pretty much agree to anything on Football Sunday just so they can get back to the game.

Ladies if this is also your case, don't complain about it! Take advantage of it!!! Go to the gym, go running, go hiking, go walking, go walk around the mall, this is your time. He's at home with the kids you have a whole day to yourself how often does that happen? Only about 17 NFL Sunday's if you have a NFL watching husband like mine! Which happens to be 64% of Americans.

And this is why I LOVE NFL football!!!!!

 

 

Have a FITtastic Sunday Ladies

XOXO

Elisha RUN RUN RUN

Birthday Virtual 5K recap

Hello my friends!!! Hope y'all are reading this in good health and healthy choices :)
I think fall is the hardest time to keep on track! It's when school starts back up, and the pumpkin spice and holiday flavors start coming out!!! I am a sucker for anything pumpkin. But fall is when the prime running weather begins. So thank goodness running burns off pumpkin spice lattes :) I love love love running in cold and cold weather gear!!! Let the races begin!!!!
Speaking of races Flex it Pink held a Virtual 5K for my 5K birthday! 3.1 miles for 31 years. You can read about more on my last post here. I am so touched to see how many women participated in my birthday 5K. Over 45 STRONG women logged 3.1 miles that day and I couldn't have been more humbled. It was so cool to see so many women come together and run together that day. We had giveaways and it was just so much fun seeing all the miles come in knowing we all were logging them together even if it was from all over different parts of the US. Here are a few highlights.

 

We are going to be having some more fun giveaways and fun runs coming soon. So make sure to follow Flex it Pink on Facebook and on Instagram @FlexItPink.

On personal runs I have a Half Marathon coming up in the middle of November. I am pretty excited about my 3rd half marathon. I am not going to be following a training plan because I ran my second half not following a plan and I actually did and felt better than my first one that I followed the plan to the T. I will just be increasing my long runs by 1 mile every Saturday until the big day. SO cooler weather means more running and long runs means lots of topics rolling through my head for blog topics. That is how this blog originally started! My best topics came from running.

 

Let the blogging/running season begin!!!!!!

 

I hope y'all are having a great week! Long run this Saturday!!!! 

 

XOXO

Elisha RUN RUN RUN

Instagram @elishaVfitness



 

Dreaming the Impossible Dream

Last Saturday I ran in my hometowns annual 10K race. It is held every year on the 3rd weekend in August. It's the same weekend as the town's annual festival and rodeo. I know y'all are thinking in California a rodeo? It's a small little mountain community and it definitely doesn't feel like California some times.

I remember driving into town every year while I was in High School going to meet up with all my friends before the big parade started. This was always the weekend before school started so it was the weekend that you would see ALL of classmates and friends that you haven't seen over summer for the first time in months.

While I drove into town I would always see that huge group of people who just got done running the annual 5K/10K race. At that time I had no idea how long 5K or 10K was all I knew was that those people were running and that I would never in my life be part of that group that I was driving past. I mean come on I was in high school that is prime running age and I couldn't run a entire mile, in P.E. class. The other part of me thought who in their right mind would wake up that early to RUN!!!!! Only in my dreams would I ever be a part of that group who RAN!

Fast forward 13 years and here I am running down those same streets that those "crazy people" were running all those years ago, and these are all the thoughts going thru my head. WOW I am a runner. I am one of those people that the now high school kids are watching run into the festival entrance thinking these people are crazy! Who wakes up at 6:00am in the middle of freaking summer to run a 10K what the heck is a 10K?! At that moment I felt proud! I felt blessed to be able to run, to have had the power to turn my life around and find this passion for running. If I would have never crossed over and challenged myself to run one mile straight thru just one short year ago, I would have never found this passion and love for the RUN. I ended up placing in last weekends 10K race, that was the icing on cake of that little dream I once had 13 years ago. I turned that Impossible into I'M POSSIBLE!!!!

Yes it takes a few months to find your grove and your pace but once you hit that moment for the first time.... that moment you only know if you have love for the run.... that moment in your run when it no longer feels like you are running but that you are bouncing off fluffy white clouds. That is the moment you know that you are a runner.

My birthday is this Wednesday 8/28 I am turning 31 years old. It is my 5K birthday. As co-creator of Flex it Pink we are hosting a Virtual 5K race online through our face book page CLICK HERE join the race in the events section. Post your run/walk/bike ride/jogging/crawling whatever it is that you enjoy doing for 3.1 miles in the event and you will be entered for a free Flex it Pink Tee or Tank and we will be giving some more random things away for participation.

I just want to try to encourage some that may have never thought they were a runner or think that could never do it. Because guess what YOU CAN!!!!!

The running community is one of the most enjoyable communities to be a part of. You will never be judged on your pace, your size, your color, your weight, your clothes! But what a runner will do when he or she sees you out there putting in those miles is give you a high five, a smile, a nod, a fist pump. Runners celebrate every step and we all run the same miles in the race as the person in front of us and the person behind us! Just getting out there makes you a winner!

If this post encourages one person to try to hit the pavement then my mission is complete! I hope you all join us in our virtual 5K this Wednesday.

See you all soon!!!!

XOXO

Elisha Run Run Run

 

 

Comfrot! You have to make the Choice....

First off let me start by saying OMG two posts in one week!!! HECK YES I'm back!!!! Let me hear y'all say heeeeeyyyyyyyyy :) Ok so I have been getting a lot questions on the topic of food!!!! Ughhhhhh I know it's the last thing we want to change in our lifestyle but it needs to be the first. We have to make the choice. Do I want to eat this food for comfort? Or do I want to be comfortable in my own skin? Guess what it sucks but we can't have both :( Big sad face. But let me tell you, once you get the hang of it and start saying NO to the bad food, you feel more in control, and you start to feel empowered, and you get a high off of your own will power, and proud that you just said NO to that delicious piece of chocolate cake! So take that brain!!!

Cheat Days
Yes you get cheat days. Limit your self to once a week. So save all that built up cravings and enjoy this once a week treat. Trust me! That fudge brownie tastes a whole lot better when it is earned. You will enjoy it so much more when there is no guilt attached to those calories. So just try it for one week. Say NO to sugar and save it up for a Saturday Date night and order what ever you like and have dessert! You have to reward yourself for your hard work, but you have to EARN IT!

Yes You WILL have Bad Days
Nobody is perfect we all know that. I know a lot of people think that I never fall off the wagon. Not true, I have my bad days where I am unmotivated or I ate pizza, and chocolate and just say screw it I don't care if I gain it all back I just wanna eat allllll dayyyyy long. The key to that is by the next day you better get up in the morning with a new attitude, clear your head of yesterday! Just because you screwed up yesterday doesn't mean that today isn't a new day. So you get up and forget about what happen yesterday, DO NOT STEP on the scale and GO SWEAT IT OUT! Sometimes you need those setbacks to launch you forward. Sometimes those bad days are just what I needed to get a killer workout or run in the next day.

Holidays and Summer Time
This is the hardest time for anyone. You are with family and how do families celebrate? With FOOD! This is the time that you need to prepare yourself more mentally than anything. You need to prepare yourself to be setting in front of all kinds of delicious foods. And you need to prepare yourself to be STRONG!!! Then you refer yourself  back up to topic 1 in this post :) Have you earned it? If it's your cheat day then go ahead and enjoy yourself. If you're on vacation then you need to prepare for more than one day. Pack healthy snacks and pull those out when the good food is out in front of you. For example if the chocolate cake gets put out after dinner, (after the portion controlled dinner full of healthy choices that you just made) then it's time to pull out the almonds with a little bit of dark chocolate chips mixed in with it. This will satisfy the sweet tooth and fill you up with some good nutrition at the same time. Then ask your family if they want to join you in a evening walk. Clean up all the food so it's out of site and head out for some fresh air. Planning your meals ahead of time will save you from making bad choices. When I know that I am not going to be home for a while I prepare chicken breasts, veggies, and sweet potatoes and pack them in a cooler. You can travel with this and eat it cold if needed. This will save you trust me. But it all comes back to your choices and holding yourself accountable in making the healthy choices.  

Eating out
When I eat out I always order chicken salads, I love salads so if you don't you can ask for a piece of grilled chicken with steamed veggies on the side. I order grilled chicken and ask them to cook it plane with no seasonings, I order the salad with dressing on the side and substitute salsa in as dressing if the restaurant doesn't have salsa I use a tiny bit of ranch and lemon. This is just how I have trained myself and it works for me. I love spicy so I ask for jalapenos and crushed red pepper. The restaurants probably hate me ha! I always drink water with lemon and never waste  my calories on drinks. WATER WATER WATER. H20 is the way to go. Diet is just as bad so skip out on that too :)

Well I this is all for now. You know have a lot more tips and tricks for you coming. Don't hesitate to ask. You can also join my Flex it Pink Fitness group on Facebook we share out fitness journey's in a closed group for women only to talk openly about our daily fitness success and struggles.

I'll leave you with my current Transformation Tuesday pic! I Hope you all have a FITtastic Tuesday

XOXO

Elisha RUN RUN RUN

 

Sorry I lied.....

I'm so sorry I lied to y'all because I told you I was coming out of MIA and I didn't! Buuutttttttt guess what school is almost back and that means this momma is going to have a lot more time on her hands and I MISS MISS MISS blogging and talking to you all so so much!!!!!! So I'm gearing up to blog weekly again! I guess it's safe to say I just take the summers off from blogging. We are just way too busy, and that time with my children are precious to me.

One thing I can tell you is that I never fell off track of the healthy life style that is for sure! I really hope that you all haven't either. Summer is so very hard to stay on track, and it's so easy to just party with your kids while they are out for school. So I did have more "cheat days" this summer but I'm still truckin' along in the gym and on that pavement, and I have been hiking A LOT!!!! You have to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather. One hike that I will always remember is the 8 mile total hike to "Potato Chip Rock" this rock is awesome y'all and if you are ever in San Diego you gotta put this on your bucket list. Actually hiking in general in San Diego should be on your bucket list it is just so beautiful!

 

 

 

SOOOOO I have some good topics lined up for y'all because I need to be back for you ladies! I miss you, I miss your emails, and I miss hearing about your progress. So please don't be mad at me and I am happy to be back at it! I'm not lying this time ha!.........

Also I'm running my 3rd half marathon this year in November so you know with all that running, I will have to get some thoughts off my chest and into blogging :)


PS LOOK OUT ON THE SHELF AT THE STORE FOR THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF FITNESS MAGAZINE YOU WILL SEE ME IN THERE!!!!!!!!

AND I PASSED MY PERSONAL TRAINING CERTIFICATION EXAM! I AM OFFICIALLY A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER!!!!!