It's time. Get rid of it.

With the holidays comes a plethora of goodies. All sorts of tasty treats that we usually don't indulge in seem to make their way to our kitchen counters, and very frequently into our mouths. Now, I am all about moderation when it comes to eating and exercising...and I think that there is nothing wrong with allowing for occasional indulgences. HOWEVER, it seems that with the holidays there are so many reasons to indulge they become far more than occasional. As the holidays come to an end there are many thoughts of improving eating and exercise habits. This is a great thing to aspire for. With that being said, I have a little piece of advice for you.

Create for yourself a setting for success. If you have holiday treats and candies adorning your shelves and countertops, the chances of you walking by them and snagging a bite or two are a lot greater. With extra bites of treats and goodies you are stunting your progress towards improvement! So...My advice to you is to GET RID OF IT. All of it. Deplete your home of the temptations that are stopping you from getting where you want to be. I bet there is a lot of junk that you will never even miss. Do a pantry/fridge clean out of the foods that aren't doing much for you and replace them with the healthy and nutritious foods that will benefit you!
Tis the season for healthy food choices and achieving your goals!

Greek Chopped Chicken Salad: AKA I have created a masterpiece

While I was in Austin over Christmas break my sister made us a greek salad for dinner, which reminded me just how much I LOVE greek salads. They are simple, delicious, and full of good nutrition. Ever since then I have been wanting to make one. Last night I decided to make a delicious greek salad for dinner, but I decided take my own spin on it. Well, guess what? It turned out kind of amazing. It is such a simple meal, but totally filling. It is full of protein, fresh produce, and good fats. It is an easy make ahead meal that you could pre-chop and mix together right before it's time to eat. Promise you'll love it.

Greek Chopped Chicken Salad

Ingredients for salad: 4 oz cooked/shredded chicken breast, (I used rotisserie chicken) 1/4 an avocado chopped, diced tomatoes, diced olives, a few cups of your choice of lettuce chopped (I used a spring mix w/spinach).  You could also add chopped cucumbers, sunflower seeds, and feta if you like!

Ingredients for dressing: 1 part red wine vinegar, 2 parts olive oil, 2-3 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1-2 tsp Lowry's season salt. (I put this in a mason jar and shake it to combine) This will make more dressing than you need for one salad, but it will keep great in the fridge.

Combine lettuce, chicken, avocado, tomatoes, and olives in a bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine.

I had this for dinner last night and made it again for lunch today because I liked it so much! It is light, flavorful and filling! SO TASTY!

My Goals for 2013

I always like to write out a few goals to work towards for the new year. I think it helps to give you something to work towards, and keeps you motivated. I DON'T think you should set goals that are unrealistic, and will only cause you to beat yourself up. Setting yourself up for failure is the quickest way to make no progress at all. :)

My health goals for 2013 are...
1) Broaden my healthy cooking palate. I want to learn to make at least 12 new dishes, one per month.
2) Take some dance classes. I grew up dancing, and I miss it. It is such an awesome way to workout and I want to get back into it.
3) Keep up my current exercise plan of 3 cardio interval workouts per week & 3 circuit/resistance intervals per week.
4) Improve my plank hold time.
5) Keep exploring the Paleo way of eating.

What are some of your goals for the new year??

Welcome 2013! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Goodbye 2012. Hello 2013!! I love the fresh start that the new year brings. We sent 2012 away with a party last night. 

 We have a tradition of making lanterns and sending them off to celebrate.

 Aren't they pretty??

I have always been big into goal setting. I think there is a lot to be said about acknowledging goals, and writing them down, and working towards improvement. I always love looking over my last years goals to see what I've accomplished and what I can still work on. 

My goals from last year were...

1. Run a full Marathon - CHECK! I ran the Utah Valley Marathon with my sister which was a tough/awesome experience.

2. No Candy/Treats/Sugar with the exceptions are frozen yogurt and mentos. - I did pretty well with this one! I think there is always room for improvement. I allowed myself some free days. 

3. Record my food. - I am actually happy to say that I failed with this one. I was an overly diligent food recorder until I started eating Paleo, and then I stopped recording my food which was really scary for me. Up until March 2012 when I started eating paleo I could probably have shown you a food journal from the past 5 years. I have become better at intuitive eating which I never thought was possible with me. (I see a new post in the making) 

4. Improve my photography skills..this translates over into improving my lil' bliggity blog so it counts as health and fitness. I did pretty well with this one, but there is still room for improvement, and I'm happy to say the blog improvement is still in the works! Hopefully to be unveiled this week! 

I'll be posting my new goals for 2013 tomorrow! How did you do on your goals from 2012?? 

Happy Holidays!

Oh my goodness. Merry Christmas! I hope the holidays have been fabulous for you. :)

I'm working to improve Muncher Cruncher, hence the lack of posting. No worries. I'll be back soon! xoxoxo

Muncher Cruncher Healthy Travel Tips

I am ALWAYS so excited to leave on trips. Traveling is so fun. However, I always get a little stressed too...probably because I hate packing. I leave tomorrow for my Arizona/Austin Christmas, and I can hardly wait! It was 10 degrees when I got in my car this morning...get me out of here. If you were wondering how the packing is coming, it is looking a little something like this...

and that is only just the beginning. According to my dad I have inherited my inability to pack lightly from my mother. What can I say? She is a good woman, and she always looks fantastic! :)

When it comes to traveling people will quite often use it as an excuse to throw in the healthy towel, if you know what I mean. Here are a few tips that will help you to avoid doing just that.

Muncher Cruncher Healthy Travel Tips:
- Bring your own snacks! Sometimes traveling puts us in situations where we are foodless for quite a while. These are the times we usually get so hungry that that the..."I don't even care give me that entire Cinnabon NOW," monster kicks in. Instead of letting your body get there bring your own snacks. Some of my favorites are almonds, turkey jerky, Larabars, protein bars, string cheese, apples, bananas, clementines, oranges, healthy cookies, etc.
- Bring a water bottle. When we aren't at home or in our normal element, we tend to drink much less water than normal. Bring a water bottle with you so you can fill up wherever you are and keep yourself healthy and hydrated.
- Eat before you go. If you know food may be an issue on your travel day, don't wait to see what the airport or convenience store may have that fits into your healthy eating plan, eat something beforehand that will fill you up and keep you from becoming ravenous.
- Bring your workout clothes! Even if you are going to an unknown destination in which you may not have a lot of options as far as working out is concerned, there is always something you can do. Bring your own workout DVD's, bands, or a jump rope if you are worried your options may be limited. If you are staying with family, go for a walk! If you are staying at a hotel, find out before hand what their amenities are. You can always use their gym, or swim some laps in the pool.

These are just a few simple things that you can do that can certainly make a big difference in how well you do on your vacation. I've said it about one million times, the key to success is preparation and planning. If you don't set yourself up for success, finding it may be a wee bit difficult.

Happy and SAFE travels to all those who are venturing to their Christmas destinations this week!!

A Day of Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

We will never forget.