It's T25 time!

Today, May 5 (also widely celebrated as Cinco dy Mayo!), marks the first day of my journey using T25!

T25 is for those who are unable to accomplish a hardcore one hour workout (such as Insanity) because there are super busy people out there (myself included) and T25 is a fast paced 25 minute workout that still focuses on healthy exercise.  I chose to make the T25 purchase because I'm the person who seems like there are not enough hours in the day!  Also, I really want to tone up this body (who doesn't want to tone?!).

I'm going to track my food intake (and I'm going to be very honest - especially when I indulge in things I shouldn't) because I've read many places that keeping a food journal is key to success.  My order of T25 included a fast track menu.  I'm going to try to stick with exact recipes but I may switch ingredients to my liking/preference.

Day 1

I have been feeling super excited to start the program and told everyone near my cubicle today was the day I start T25!

Breakfast Raspberry Smoothie!

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 scoop Herbalife of Dulce de Leche (recipe calls for Shakeology but I haven't had the guts to order it yet)

1 cup ice

Around 300 calories.  So, the smoothie was not the best smoothie in the world and I think it was because it wasn't sweet enough for me (raspberries are tart to begin with, you're lucky if you get a sweet one).

AM Snack was sweet citrus yogurt (and my goodness it was amazing - I'll definitely be making this again).  It was very simple to make and I loved the sweet honey and citrus flavor.

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

2 tsp. raw honey

1 tsp. finely grated grapefruit peel

About 100 calories.  I bought a grapefruit rather than dried out grapefruit peel.  Plus, I live in Pierre, SD and all I could find in the stores was lemon peel.  I thoroughly washed the grapefruit and took my cheese grater to it.  It worked great and the snack was very satisfying to my taste buds.

Lunch was Chicken and Spinach Salad.  Food is expensive in this remote town so I bought spinach & arugula mix rather than purchasing one of each.

2 cups fresh baby spinach (and arugula)

1/4 medium cucumber, sliced

small handful of baby carrots, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

4 oz. cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless, sliced

About 300 calories.

PM Snack included Turkey, Goat Cheese, and Avocado Rolls (minus the avocado because they were not ripe - sad day!!)

2 slices low-sodium, nitrate-free, lean turkey breast (Hormel brand if you're interested), spread 1 Tbsp. soft goat cheese, topped with 1/2 tsp. chopped raw walnuts and 2 thin slices of avocado, and rolled up.  I'm sad my avocados weren't ripe so I went ahead without using avocado.

About 100 calories.  So my PM snack was made and devoured right after my lunch meal (oops!).  This was not a good idea because by the time 3 PM rolled around I dug into my office drawer and had a handful of dark chocolate cover pomegranate (16 pieces for 170 calories - my one step backwards on day one).  Around 3:30 PM Heidi and I walked around the mall for some exercise (working off those chocolate covered goodies) and found myself buying my favorite ice cream sold at the mall (I'm a big sucker for Mocha Almond Fudge in a waffle cone - gosh it gets me every time!).  So there was my second step backwards. Boo, Kayla - you're better than that!

After work I hustled my butt home and started my first workout with Shaun T.  Of course it had to be cardio (it's like he knew I had ice cream and was punishing me).  I worked up a good sweat and it was fun believe it or not!  The 25 minutes went so fast because before you know it, I was in cool down mode stretching my muscles and it felt so good.  Even though I'm training with DVDs I feel like Shaun T. has great interaction with me and it felt personalized.

And for dinner - I honestly forgot about dinner and at 9:45 PM just ate two slices of low-sodium, nitrate-free ham (Hormel package meats - the only kind I like to buy!).

In closing, I will be updating as frequently as I can as I start this journey :)  Also, I just finished watching the season finale of Bates Motel and cannot wait until season 3!

Night all.

Day 2

Breakfast - Silky Almond Smoothie (I really like smoothies for breakfast!)

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup coconut milk (too sweeten up the smoothie)
1 Tbsp. all-natural almond butter (I never tried almond butter before but it is delicious)
1 cup ice

About 250 calories.  This smoothie tops the smoothie from day 1 because I really love peanut (almond) butter.  It's my go to sweet snack when I need a little pick me up (better than going for a Oreos or a Snickers bar).

AM Snack - Grapes!  One cup of red or green grapes and of course I choose red because I've always loved red grapes over green, although I'm not to sure of the difference...

Lunch was delicious because it consisted of a Turkey and Vegetable Sandwich, YUM!

2 slices whole-wheat bread
2 tsp. prepared pesto sauce
2 oz. low-sodium, nitrate-free, lean turkey breast (Hormel packaged meat)
1/4 medium cucumber, sliced
1 slice medium tomato
1 thin slice medium red onion
2 romaine lettuce leaves, washed, patted dry

About 300 calories.  This sandwich ended up being very large but it was very filling.  I always love me a good sandwich.  I was surprised about the pesto sauce but it added a different flavor I really enjoyed.  I will definitely be adding it to my grocery list more often.

PM Snack - Hard Boiled Egg

78 calories.  I forgot to bring the snack with me to work after lunch so I enjoyed the snack while preparing dinner instead.  It was a good idea because I always find myself snacking on my dinner before it's complete :).

Dinner - Chicken in Foil

1 (4 oz.) raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste, optional)
4 small yellow potatoes, sliced
1/4 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 medium onion (I used the red onion I had cut for lunch), chopped
Dash of ground thyme

**Preheat oven to 375 degree F
**Season chicken with salt and pepper if desired, set aside
**Place potato slices on a piece of aluminum foil.  Top with chicken, bell pepper, onion, and thyme, fold foil over and seal edges securely to form a pouch.
**Place pouch on baking sheet.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.

About 300 calories and so tasty!  I can't wait to make this recipe again.

Before dinner I did my day 2 exercise of T25 and it felt great!  My body is a little sore from yesterday still but nothing some protein and water can't fix.  I pushed myself hard to keep my heart rate up but it was pretty easy to do because it was a circuit workout.  I nailed all those burpees focusing on keeping my core tight.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings :)

Day 3

Breakfast - Yogo Berry Blast Smoothie

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup nonfat Greek vanilla yogurt
1 cup fresh strawberries
1/2 cup ice

About 200 calories.  I could have used a little more ice because the end result was more runny then expected but it had a sweet taste compared to the smoothie on day one.

AM Snack (I woke up a little later than expected today so I didn't have tim e to prepare the quinoa for a snack - so I swapped lunch and my AM snack) Tropical Quinoa Snack

1/3 cup cooked quinoa topped with 2 Tbsp. coconut milk beverage and 4 sliced medium strawberries.  I also added a few raspberries :) Again I ate this snack for lunch and it ended up making a lot.  I didn't eat all the quinoa I had prepared.  About 150 calories.

Lunch - The Perfect Food Improved (and it was!!!)

2 large hard-boiled eggs, cut in half, yolks removed and reserved
4 tsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. mustard
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

300 calories.  I ate this "lunch" as my AM snack instead because hard-boiled eggs take less time then preparing quinoa, haha.

PM Snack - Turkey and Swiss Cheese Crackers

2 medium whole grain crackers
1/2 tsp. mustard (spread on both crackers)
1 slice low-sodium, nitrate-free turkey (cut in half, placed on each cracker)
And a pinch of shredded swiss cheese on each cracker

About 90 calories.  Such a good snack.  I'm a huge fan of mustard (I love dipping carrots in mustard!) so it made this snack so tasty with a little bite.

Dinner - Lemon-Dill Halibut

1 (6 oz.) raw halibut fillet
1 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
1 dash of salt
1 dash of dill weed (for garnish)
1 cup green beans
Lemon wedges (for garnish)

**Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
**Brush both sides of halibut with oil, Place on baking pan
**Sprinkle halibut with lemon pepper, salt and dill
**Bake for 4 to 50 minutes on each side, or until halibut flakes easily when tested with a fork

About 250 calories.  I have never had halibut before but I'm now going to make it a habit to stock my freezer with it.  It was delicious with the perfect amount of seasoning.

My Focus T25 workout today was a full body circuit workout and I would have to say that I barely made it through.  I'm not very strong in the arms and Shaun T. had me doing all these push ups.  I can only imagine how sore my arms and back are going to be tomorrow and the next day.  It was a difficult 25 minutes and I was sweating like a heifer in a hot tub.

My entire body is still pretty sore from the last two workouts but I'm going to push through because tomorrow, it's ab interval time!  I love working on my abs :)

Day 4

Breakfast - Morning Delight Smoothie

1 cup 100% orange juice
1/3 medium banana, cut into chunks
1 cup of ice

200 calories.  This smoothie was exactly what I needed this morning.  It was sweet and tangy and delicious.

AM Snack - Cinnamon-Ricotta Berries

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh berries (I used raspberries and cut up some strawberries)
1 tsp. slivered raw almonds
1 dash ground cinnamon

110 calories.  This snack was good on the taste buds even though I was skeptic about ricotta cheese being a snack.

Lunch - Sirloin-Topped Arugula Salad

4 oz. raw lean top sirloin steak
2 cups fresh arugula & spinach
10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 cup canned, drained artichoke hearts
1 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

About 300 calories.  This salad was very filling and I will definitely be making it again!

PM Snack - 2 Whole Grain Crackers because I wasn't up for eating tuna and celery boats, no thank you! (70 calories)

I hurried home after work to get in my workout with Shaun T. before I worked/trained at The Crossing.  I will be bar-tending The Crossing every other Saturday and I will be starting after my trip to Europe!  I was training from 6-midnight and I was completely exhausted when I finally made it to my bed.

Dinner - Turkey and Vegetable Sandwich (same sandwich from lunch on day 2)  It was just as delicious as the first time I had it :)

Day 5

Breakfast - Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbsp. all-natural almond butter

1/3 medium banana, cut into chunks

1/2 cup ice

About 250 calories.  AH-MAZING!!  If you try this, you will not regret it!

AM Snack - Grapes (100 calories)

Lunch - Turkey and Vegetable Sandwich (same sandwich from lunch on day 2 and dinner on day 4) About 300 calories.

I skipped my PM Snack today because the sandwich was extremely filling.  I just waited until after work to eat.

Dinner - Chef Salad

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 oz. low sodium, nitrate-free, lean ham, chopped

1 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, chopped

Medium tomato, chopped

1/2 avocado, diced

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

About 250 calories.  I've never made a chef salad like this one in particular but I will be making it as often as possible because it was pretty tasty.

Because of my lack of sleep on Thursday night, I was very exhausted and skipped my workout on Friday to rest up.  A couple of us ladies wanted to watch the softball games that were happening Friday evening so we met on Heidi's deck and had a couple of drinks then worked our way over to the softball fields.  After watching the boys lose (twice) we made our way to the Legion and had a couple more drinks.  I ended the night at Bob's Lounge and was home and in bed by 1 AM.  I was completely exhausted.

Watching the games!

Today (Saturday), I completed one of my Friday workouts bright and early.  This afternoon I went to the movie Neighbors starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron.  This movie was very, very funny.  Now I'm just resting before picking up Kristin and Heidi for our dinner theater reservation.  The production is Four Weddings and an Elvis, and we will be indulging in prime rib dinner!  I can't wait!