March Madness Challenge

In light of March being National Nutrition Month I’ve decided to take this month to build “Nutrition from the Ground Up” and focus on eating more consciously and healthfully. I know I don’t have the most unhealthy diet, but there’s always room for improvement, right?

Here are a few of my goals for the March Madness Challenge:

• Eat most meals at the table with no media distractions (i.e. tv, computer, etc)
• Eat only when I’m actually hungry (not because I’m bored)
• Have snacks readily available that provide a good combo of protein, fat, and carbs
• Ween myself from having to finish both lunch and dinner with something sweet

I am also going to make an effort to capture a photo and post about most of my meals and snacks so you all can see how I’m doing with the new goals. Recently I haven’t been posting my dinner if it wasn’t something super exciting because the photos don’t come out that great with the lighting in my house, however with my new camera I should be able to get some better shots.

On the exercise front, I am running a 10k at the end of the month so I’m going to keep training for that but my goal is to make sure I do 3 strength training workouts a week as well. I’m the cardio queen and often slack on the strength training side of things so I want to try make it a priority this month!

The best part about this plan is that I have a big treat waiting for me at the end… a trip to Los Angeles!! Isaac and I are going out to visit some friends who recently made the move across country. We booked our flights a few weeks ago and we are beyond stoked. Neither of us have ever been to LA and we’re getting to stay in the Hollywood Hills!! The excitement is a little too much to bear.

If you’re interested, you should join in on the March Madness Challenge with me. There’s no specific rules as each person will have different nutritional/fitness goals but it would be fun to have some others challenging themselves in the spirit of National Nutrition Month as well. Who knows maybe I’ll even host a giveaway for those that participate!

Rewinding a bit, I came home on Sunday evening with a belly full of Ethiopian veggies and lentils and went to bed quite early – it had been a crazy weekend and I was in need of some serious beauty sleep. After resting my eyes for a good 8 hours I popped out of bed and started the March Challenge off right with a 20 minute Morning Flow yoga session and some steamy OIAC – Oats in a (Nut Butter) Container.

This TJ’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseed had been in the fridge forever. I opened it today to scoop out a spoonful for my oats and realized it was almost empty. Of course, I put the container to good use and filled it with some creamy banana oats! So so so good. I wish I could have this everyday.

Sticking with the ethnic eats, the marketing team went out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants for lunch yesterday – Ginger Thai. I was pumped with this decision because I LOVE Thai food – it’s my favorite ethnic cusinse!! Yesterday, I got my usual.

a.) Shrimp Spring Rolls

b.) Tom Yum Soup with steamed tofu (medium spicy)

The soup was particularly filling today and after eating it all of it, I didn’t have enough space left for my second spring roll. I took one bite, then realized I really wasn’t that hungry so I saved the rest for later and had it as an appetizer before finishing off the last of the Jumble-aya.

This morning I made it to the gym before work. This was great, but I didn’t have a ton of time to eat at home so I ended up packing my breakfast and eating at my desk.

Old fashioned oatmeal, oatbran, chia seeds, banana slices, cinnamon, vanilla, skim milk, and water.

Once at the office I put the oatmeal in a microwavable bowl and heated it up for 2 minutes. It became so voluminous and creamy – I might have to use the microwave method more often! Overall the oatmeal, topped with macadamia butter was amazing, but eating it at my desk doesn’t really align with my goal of eating with no distractions. :/

Lunch time rolled around and I hopped home for a tuna salad on sandwich thins and an apple.

I made the tuna salad on the fly using greek yogurt, spicy mustard, a chopped pickle, and a little S&P. It wasn’t the most exciting lunch, but I made up for it with a tasty dinner.

Spring mix topped with avocado slices, broccoli, a Chik’n Veggie Patty, Annie’s honey mustard dressing, sprouted sunflower seeds, and S&P. Definitely a winner of a dinner!!

To soothe my sweet tooth I indulged in a small mug of Kashi go lean. I’d missed my favorite cereal.

It’s now getting late and I’m ready to hit the hay. Sleep well my friends!

-Brittany

Tagged as: ginger thai taste, March Madness Challenge, Oatmeal, Oats in a Container, sandwich thins, Shrimp Spring Roll, Tom yum soup, tuna salad