So I am well aware that it is March 4th and should have posted my March goals a couple days ago, but such is life. I have fine tuned these goals to be tough, but achievable, make some (or all) your goals as well and let me know how it goes!
1. Log 900 Fitness Minutes
This one might be the toughest goal for me personally. Luckily I made a plan of action. 900 fitness minutes means roughly 45 minutes of exercise five days a week. Totally do-able, but I have a history of not going to the gym more than 3 times a week. Why? Because my gym was 14 miles away and a 20 minute drive. That was stupid, to sign up for a gym, THAT far away, when I live in the thriving suburbs of Minneapolis! So, I signed up for a new gym 2 miles from my house (no excuse) and that was about 30% less expensive. Win – Win! Added bonus? My boyfriend is a member at the same gym, so the hope is that we will go together sometimes!
2. Food Prep on Sunday
This is something I have been aiming to do for years, but when Sunday came around it just wouldn’t happen. I am ready to take the reins and determine my eating for the week on Sunday. This also means I will be making a menu for the week, so I know what to prep and what to shop for! I already accomplished this goal for this week, as I spent a couple hours in the kitchen yesterday pre-making some salads and prepping food for the rest of the week. I made Chicken Salad (no pecans, substitute cashews, and add celery – my dads way!), Quinoa Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Smokey Cheddar, Overnight Oats (in jars!) with banana and peanut butter, and I prepped everything for Spicy Orange Chicken (with cauliflower “rice”) and Balsamic Chicken.
3. Get to Yoga At Least Once PerWeek
This is a no-brainer, but I have slacked on my practice lately! The plan is to go Wednesdays when I get out of class.
4. Eat Completely Paleo Two Days Per Week
On a quest to truly clean up my eating, I have been exploring more Paleo recipes lately! I haven’t made a single one that wasn’t delicious, so eating Paleo two times a week should be manageable. I know the hardest time of the day for me will be in the morning for breakfast, since I usually have something yogurt based, but I prepped hard boiled eggs on Sunday, so I’ll just grab two of those, and be good!
5. Track My Water Intake
I have been trying to be more conscientious lately about the amount of water I drink. I feel a huge difference on the days I don’t hit my goal (80 oz) vs days I do hit that goal. I feel sluggish and pretty crappy when I don’t get enough water in me. When I do drink enough water, I notice my eating is much healthier, and I take more modest portions. Healthy habits breed healthy habits right?
6. Lose 8 lbs
What do all these goals add up to in the end? Hopefully with me losing 8 libbies! This is roughly 4% of my body weight, and within safe limits to lose in the four and a half weeks of March. I’m going to keep myself accountable on this by making sure I head to WeighWatchers for my weekly weigh in.
So those are my March Goals! Do you have any goals for March?
Last week I wanted to make BBQ Chicken Pizza (per the request of Troy) and decided to try my hand at making BBQ sauce from scratch! I waned something with no corn syrup or nasty preservatives. I declared 2013 as my year to clean up my diet and cut the processed crap out. So I started throwing some stuff in a bowl and the end result was fantastic! A slightly sweet, slightly spicy, smoky barbecue sauce, perfect for chicken or ribs, or anything else you can slather it on! Best of all, most of the ingredients are common items that you probably have in your house already.
“Clean” Barbecue Sauce (Makes about 3 cups)
3 cloves roasted garlic
½ red onion
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 cup ketchup (I used Simply Heinz – It has a clean ingredient list)
1 can tomato paste
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup maple syrup (make sure it ‘s pure maple)
¼ cup brown sugar
4 T cider vinegar
2 T dijon mustard
1 t liquid smoke
1 T chili powder *
1 T sundried chili powder *
½ tea chipotle chili powder *
¼ cup water
* I purchase all of our chili powders from El Potrero Trading Post and have it shipped. Their chili powder is not only the freshest tasting and best quality I’ve had, but the prices are very reasonable. I’d suggest checking out their site!
1. Saute the onion in the olive oil until it is softened in a medium sauce pan. Add the garlic when the onion is almost done. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk to combine thoroughly.
3. Add the mixed ingredients to the sauce pan and cook on medium low until the sauce simmers. Let simmer for 5 minutes and take off the heat.
4. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature and use a food processor to blend the sauce, making sure there are no chunks of onion or garlic left.
5. Use immediately or store in the fridge in a glass container. I like using recycled jars for things like this!
Enjoy!
bakingmehappy 