Back To School Lunch Ideas

I can't believe I am even saying that. It can't be time for people to go back to school yet can it? I hate even the thought of it. I really do.

The funny thing? My schedule doesn't even change, aside from the fact that clients tend to go on fewer vacations. I graduated from BYU three years ago, and hearing people talk about going back to school still makes me cringe for some reason. I think the reason I hate the sound of it is because it means summer is drawing to a close. I love summer. I hate winter.

With school coming, I often times have moms ask me what they can send with their kids for healthy school lunch ideas. I grew up hating school lunch. I always packed my own lunches, and I'm pretty sure they were the kind people weren't going to want to trade. I would take sliced up cucumbers and tomatoes, cheese and crackers, and tupperwares of salad...and don't worry I had my share of fruit snacks and Sunny D too.

Creating healthy lunches to send with your kids (or to take yourself) can be difficult, but hopefully these suggestions will get you on the right track.

- turkey wraps (Use La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Tortillas or Flat Out Wraps)
- tuna wraps
- peanut butter and banana wraps
- whole wheat turkey sandwiches
- DIY lunchables with whole wheat crackers, lunch meat, and cheese slices
- whole wheat pita pockets filled with chicken, turkey, tuna, or whatever you kiddie likes!
- healthy pizza roll ups 
- whole wheat pb&j
- Mini Meatloaf Muffins 
- hard boiled eggs
- healthy muffins such as: Low Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

- string cheese
- fruit  (apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, sliced strawberries, raspberries, etc.)
- sliced veggies and hummus or ranch (cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, etc.)
 (You can even pre-bag these like i have done HERE, so your preparation is easier!) 
- individual yogurts (you can add a bag of granola)
- homemade granola bars or protein bars such as these peanut butter banana protein bars

- fat free/sugar free pudding packs
- fruit leather
- and don't forge to throw in a little dessert with a healthy cookie or two

School lunch doesn't have to be boring! Instead make it fun, delicious, and healthy! Who knows, your kid might actually eat it instead of tossing it in the trash so they can hurry out to recess!


What are you healthy lunch ideas? Were you a school lunch kid? I don't think I ever ate school lunch once until I got to Jr. High and I discovered the vending machines and the pink cookies in the cafeteria. Gross. I don't think that is even considered lunch. Do you have ways of preparing healthy food so your child will eat it?

August Album Giveaway Winner!

Today is the day.
The winner of the August Album Giveaway (chosen by random.org) is  #18 ROXY!!
Roxy said...

Roxy and I used to be roomies, once upon a time. We actually trained for the SLC marathon together, until a stress fracture got the best of her. Dang bones...who need em? She is getting married here in a couple weeks, and I'm so excited for her!! Hope you enjoy the new tunes Roxies!

The trip thus far has been nothing short of fabulous.
The 10 hour road trip to AZ is always worth it. 

Yesterday consisted of sleeping in, church, an awesome dinner prepped by my sister Nichole, some side-by-side pinning on Pinterest, and a family movie night. We watched Braveheart. SO inspiring. I think it might be one of my new top five movies. I hate blood, gore, and guts, so I was glad we found an edited version. I still just want to talk in a Scottish accent. "FREEDOM!!!!!" Thank you William Wallace.

Today did not disappoint. 

We started off the morning at one of my favorite Arizona locations, Last Chance.

I scored some awesome New Balance Minimus Shoes. I won't be running in them, but being as how I wear workout clothes all day every day I am always itching for some new kicks.

(Why does this angle always make your calves look so huge and monstrous?)

I also came away with a new Hobo wallet. I've wanted one forever, so I was VERY excited about that.
We followed shopping with pedicures,  (I'll spare you another foot picture) and lunched at one of my favorite healthy places, Pita Jungle. Ohhh if I could just have one in UT...probably a good thing we don't.

I had grilled veggies and grilled chicken.

Super tasty. Please go there if you are ever in the area. You will thank me, and so will your taste buds.
Let's be honest, If you are ever in the area I will give you a list of things you MUST do. It might be long...I have so many favorites. 

The rest of the night went like this...

- Salad Bar with mom at Jason's Deli (my m&d have been in ut for 5 weeks, so the cupboards are pretty bare.)

- Marshalls

-Trader Joe's

- Weights work out with Mom and Nichole (I wore my new NB shoes, and they are awesome for lifting in. Still pretty sure I won't be doing much cardio in them, though.)

- Watching the Bachelor Pad with Mama Cita

I feel good about it. 

Have you ever worn any of the minimally inspired shoes? (Nike Free's, NB minimus etc.) I have LOVED my frees for everything BUT running. Running in the frees = stress fracture. Boo. I think they are darling though. Great for work. Any Bachelor Pad viewers? Crazytown.com

Mama Cita Gets an A+ For Road Trip Prepraredness

I decided last minute to make the weekend drive to Arizona with my mom and dad yesterday. I have talked before about some tips to keep yourself healthy on road trips. My mom definitely gets a gold star for her preparations yesterday.

She had a cooler prepped with...
Fresh cut veggies (carrots, tomatoes, and peppers) and hummus

 Fresh cherries

 apples and apricots

some frozen zucchini cookies which we had whipped up last week and stuck in the freezer.
(my whole fam kinda loves them...)

 some green and red grapes

almonds, fiber one bars, and reduced fat wheat thins

We also had plenty of mints, gum, and water. You did great mom. Reeaaaal great. 

It is amazing how much easier it is to avoid all the crappy junk food when you have plenty of healthy good options instead! 

What are your favorite road trip treats? I like to have a nice cold diet dr. pepper along side all these awesome goodies.

No salad bar is safe. I will hunt you down, and I will find you.

I'm going to make this short.

1. Last night I stayed up WAY to late because we went and saw Crazy Stupid Love.

 It was amazing. So funny. A few things I could have done with out, but Ryan Gosling was not one of them. Hellloooo hot bod. That my friends is what diet and exercise can do for you.

2. Going to work after like 4 hours of sleep isn't my favorite. I need sleep. I just do. Don't forget. Lack of sleep leads to bad habits, which can lead to weight gain.

3. My mom and pops called me to go eat lunch with them at my dad's work. They had the most amazing salad bar ever. $3.99 for this beauty. I am determined to find the cheapest and best salad bar in town. (Hint: If you live the in Provo/Orem area go to the East Bay Cafe located by the Novell Building is South Provo. The salad bar is money.)

4. I can't stop listening to Lil' Waynes "How to Love." It may just be my song of the summer. It starts of my workouts every day.

5. Speaking of music...If you haven't entered in my August Album Workout Mix Giveaway doooo it. You have until Sunday night.

6. Time for me to watch some SYTYCD on hulu while I drift off to sleep. I'm tired. I haven't loved the dances this season EXCEPT for this one....And I could watch IT about 5 times a day.

That Twitch. He gets me every time. Don't worry that my besties and I pretend like we know the dance and do it in the kitchen...If you come by at the right time you just may catch us in through the blinds.

Any other salad bar obsessed individuals out there? I've been to three in the past two days. Do I need to go to Salad Bar-ers Anonymous or something? I just LOVE having such a variety of fresh produce right in front of me. What is your song of the summer?

August Album Giveaway

Is it August already? Seriously? Please make the summer slow down. Pretty pretty please. You know how I feel about winter. I'm not ready for it!!!

I guess one good thing about it being August means that it's a new month, and time for a new mix giveaway!

There are some great new songs this go round
I Wanna Go - Britney Spears
Hey Mami - Fannypack
She Ain't you - Chris Brown
Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae
Right There - Nichole Scherzinger
Who Says - Selena Gomez
Don't Wanna Go Home - Jason DeRulo
How to Love - Lil' Wayne
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) - Katy Perry
Sail - AWOLNATION
Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce
Hey Mama - Mat Kearney
Stereo Hearts (Feat. Adam Levine) - Gym Class Heroes
The Wreckin' Bar (ra ra ra) - The Vaccines
Boy - Ra Ra Riot
Next 2 You (feat. Justin Bieber) - Chris Brown
Don't Stop The Party - Black Eyed Peas
Rabiosa - Shakira feat. Pitbull
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - Amy Winehouse (Cool Down)

To enter to win the August Album Mix Giveaway

1) Become a Muncher Cruncher follower and leave a comment (If you already are one, just leave a comment letting me know!)

2) Tell me what your favorite thing about summer has been!

3) Tweet about it, Facebook it, Pin it, blog about it, and leave me a comment letting me know you did so. (You can have an entry for each, so leave a separate comment for each.)

For previous workout playlists click HERE
You have until Sunday August 7th at midnight to enter, and the winner will be announced Monday the 8th! Good Luck! :)

Holy Guacamole!

I am a total sucker for some good guacamole. In my striving to add in some healthy fats into my diet I have been eating a lot of avocados. Man, they are delicious, aren't they? I have been eating them plain, putting them in wraps, and yesterday I came up with the best combo yet.

The easiest guacamole EVER.

Now, don't get me wrong. My dad's guac is TO DIE FOR. I just don't have the time/patience when I am trying to whip up a quick meal for myself to go to all that trouble. So the solution:

Avocado + Fiesta/Taco Seasoning...mashed up with a fork = Easiest Guacamole Ever...and SO TASTY!
I ate mine with some oven baked tortilla chips and my healthy chicken salad.

It was really filling and so healthy. Not much to it. It is a very simple meal that just required a little creativity. As I was eating this guacamole I kept thinking about how good it would be on a wrap or sandwich, or a salad. YUM! The possibilities are endless.

I am alternating my workouts with three short high intensity interval workouts and 3 intense full body lifting workouts.

Today was a cardio day. I did 3.5 miles of interval sprints which was quick and killer.

Yesterday I got in a great lifting workout.

Warm up 10 minutes on treadmill

3 sets alternating

12 squats with the leg press sled @ 270 lbs 

12 lat pull downs with the free motion machine @60 lbs

3 sets alternating

15 Squat throws with the 18 lb medicine ball

12 Bicep curls balancing on one foot with 20 lb db's

1 minute Plank with feet up on the med ball 

3 sets alternating 

12 chest flies on bench with feet up in the air (to make you balance and tighten your core) w/ 20 lb db's

15 sit ups with one of the 20 lb db's on the bench. (Press db up into the air as you sit up)

20 wide squat w/ alternating over the top presses w/18 lb med ball

2 sets alternating

10 R&L around the world med ball core rotations (18 lb med ball)

20 med ball throw downs (18 lb med ball)

2nd workout of the day...stressing over the bachelorette. We had a viewing party with like 30 people, and it was all sorts of intense. We were all sweating over it! I feel good about the result though. I am not a huge Ashley fan...and not a huge JP fan...so I'm glad they ended up together :) Why is the bachelorette like a train wreck I can't get away from...oh well glad it's over! 

What is your favorite way to eat avocados? Were you happy with the outcome of the bachelorette?? Any bachelor pad fans? I have never seen it. It looks kinda trashy, no?

Taking Applications, Sunday Chicken Scampi, and My Why's

Happy Sunday Y'all. I am officially taking applications for Utahn's looking to fill the positions of my sisters who have now both left me. Yesterday, my sister Linds and her family left Utah for their big move to Texas. So sad...I hate to see them go. I am really going to miss them! Lindsay Cotter...I'm hoping everyone there is as great as you are!!

My sister Nichole left with her posse today, and I'm going to miss them too! I just love having all the people that I adore close to me, and I HATE when they leave! So...like I said, I'm currently taking in-state sister applications. You must love to work out with me, go shopping, make trips to sonic for DDP, eat frozen yogurt, and lay by the pool. Pretty intense, I know.

It is a good thing I still have my mom in town for one more week, or I'd be even MORE sad! I am also glad that she and my dad decided to make me an AMAZING dinner tonight. We had one of our favorite healthy recipes Chicken Scampi.

My dad did an awesome job of grilling the chicken on the bbq, which always makes it taste great. We had a side of grilled veggies and fresh fruit and dip. All of of my favorites!

 

This recipe goes especially well with fresh tomatoes from the garden. Very fresh and healthy. I LOVE it.

I mentioned last week that I am changing up my normal workout and eating routines. Some of you have been curious about my new work out routine, and the reasoning is behind the way I am formatting my workouts and my meals.

My main goals are: 

1. Lift three times a week. Heavy weight, high quality lifting.
2. Cardio 3 times a week on my off days of lifting... 25-30 mins of intervals. 

3. Increase the fat content in my diet.
4. Stop looking at exact calories. Look at quality of food and the way it increases my blood sugar, and cravings instead.

The reason I have these goals is because I want to increase my metabolism by increasing my lean muscle mass, which I am hoping will lead to helping to drop my body fat percentage. I have been doing cardio very intensely and eating very lean for so long, that I feel like my body has suffered some hormonal imbalances. The reasoning behind each of my goals...

1. Lifting three times a week. Heavy weight, high quality lifting. 

I have intensified my lifting by duration and intensity. I'm doing full body three times a week with a high amount of weight. I want to be sure to burn the max amount of calories in my lifting and fatigue each muscle group. I am allowing 48 hours between each lifting session to allow my muscles to recover fully. 

2. Cardio three times a week for 25-30 mins at a very high intensity. 

I will be doing intervals here, trying to really maximize calorie burn in a short amount of time. I hope to help my body get some more recovery time here by cutting down my cardio. I was doing 60-90 mins a day previously, so mentally this is very hard for me. I think it will be a good revamp time for my body. I just need to remember that!

3. Increase the fat content in my diet. 

I have cut out almost all fat as of now, so to add in the good fats has been something I have had to really plan and be conscious of. Fat is essential in helping your body obtain the vitamins and nutrients Fat is a key in the structural components of hormones, which could explain hormonal imbalances due to a lack of fat. Fat is also a great energy source for the body.

4. Stop looking at exact calories. 

This is really hard for me. I mentally keep a caloric score of what I am eating, but I am still trying to work on focusing on the good foods I am eating and not to caloric values. My diet will be comprised mainly of lean proteins, good fats (nuts, olive oil, peanut/almond butter, avocados, etc.), fruits and veggies, and a few servings of whole grains.

Hopefully this gives a little more background on why I am doing what i am doing! I will continue to keep you updated on the progress, and the effectiveness of the process. 

Are you applying any of these practices in your life right now? If so, how are they benefiting you (or not)? Any takers on my application quest?? ;) I hope you are having an awesome weekend!