The Best Soup I’ve Ever Made
Hi there! (I meant to post this on Wednsday! Sorry)
Today I have a super yummy and delicious soup for you! Last week, I ordered a salad at restaurant and it taste like dirt. Seriously. For a few days the thought of veggies made my tummy churn. I found myself eating tons of fruit and zero vegetables. Not good.
Luckily, soup sounded pretty good…I know I’m weird…eating soup in the hot summer. But trust me this soup is seriously good. I came up with it totally randomly and it works. Its cheesy, creamy and full of vitamins.
Cheesy Cauliflower, Carrot and Corn Soup
1 tbsp butter
1 head of caulflower, roughly chopped
2 cups baby carrots, chopped
4 oz of delicious cheese, chopped or grated( I used gouda)
1 can corn Heavy cream (could use milk just as well)
Chicken stock (I used bullion because its cheaper and easier to keep)
Melt butter in the bottom of large stock pot.
Toss in the carrots and let them get a little roasty, then add the cauliflower and chicken stock. Cover the pot and let sit until veggies are soft but not over cooked 20-30 mins.
Pour entire mixture into blender and blend until almost smooth. Or less depends on preference!
Empty a can of corn into the stock pot and let it get a roasty too. But really it just needs to get warm. Then add the carrot and cauliflower puree back to the pot and stir really good. Add water if it seems to be thicker than you like.
Add the cheesy and stir until completely melted, then add just a splash or two of heavy cream and DONE!
Perfectly delish! Served with cracked pepper and a side of pita chips.
Summer Shape-Up with Diet-to-Go
Why Hello Friends!
Clearly, summer is here to stay which means lounging pool side, BBQs, and sunshine galore! We spend so much time getting ready for summer, sometimes we forget that the small things add up during all the summer activities.
Thankfully, Diet-to-Go has planned some great activities this month during the Summer Shape-Up with Diet-to-GO to help us all stay healthy and lose some weight during everyone’s favorite season!
Join in on any one of these exciting online opportunities for a fun summer shape-up and your chance to win great prizes!
Facebook Sweepstakes: We are excited to announce our June summer sweepstakes, which will give you a chance to win up to one month of free meals! Like us on Facebook for your chance to win!! For sweepstakes details and official rules, visit our Sweepstakes Page, or ENTER HERE.
Twitter Chat: Join us Tuesday, June 18 at 9-10 p.m, (EST) for a Twitter chat to discuss common-sense methods and practices YOU can use to stay fit and get your summer shape-up on. Use hashtag #diettogo to join. 1 randomly drawn chatter will win a Fitbit Flex Wristband. 3 randomly drawn chatters will win a week of free meals.
DietBet: DietBet is a great way to get motivated to lose weight and get fit. How does DietBet work? Join a bet by putting $25 in the pot. You then have 4 weeks to lose 4% of your body weight, and if you reach your goal, you split the pot with other winners.
Diet-to-Go will be hosting our very own DietBet: Diet-to-Go’s Summer Shape-Up, which will give YOU the opportunity to win money for losing weight. In addition to splitting the pot, we will give all winners a $50 gift card to use towards the purchase of any 7-day meal plan! Click here to join and take advantage of this incredible opportunity!
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Clearly, there are tons of ways to win some cool prizes this summer!
What are some of your Summer Shape-Up tips?
Blogger MIA
Oops. It seems I accidently took a week off from blogging…
The truth is, I’ve been a little off my game the past week. Nothing too crazy or anything like that…just not 100% myself.
Its perfectly normal. I assume that everyone need a break, that’s why people take a vacations. Mhmmm..I would love a vacation.
I can totally see myself lounging on one these bad boys.
Last week, I took extra days off…skipping my workouts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I spent some of the time getting some extra sleep and another day spent getting some quality friend time. Both were seriously needed.
Although, I feel much more rested this week, I was still excited to hear that it would be short day at work. Getting off early means I get some time to catch up on some household chores. I’ve already fold 2-3 loads of laundry and both the washer and dryer are currently running full speed ahead.
Here shortly I will be heading to the gym for a spin class. I’m super pumped because the gym added a new evening spin class this month! All the other cycling classes are at 5:30 in the morning which I tend to snooze through.
I’m so ready to sweat it out. I even fueled with this seriously delish protein shake.
This was super thick and oh so yummy. Made with chocolate designer whey, PB2, a banana, milk and ice. Perfect to fuel a long workout.
I promise not to go missing this week. In fact, this will be an awesome week because I will be getting another week of yummy Diet-to-go meals! This time I picked Vegetarian meals…I’m looking forward to trying some new stuff.
Now I’m off to the gym!
Monday Monday…
Hello!! This weekend I took some time off from blogging to relax and spend time with family! Although we spent a lot time visiting and on the go, I definitely feel relaxed after this weekend.
This weekend was my Mother-in-law’s 50th Birthday! The day started off with a golf scramble! I am NOT coordinated enough to golf…little ball with a little club….yep not gonna happen. However, I had lots of fun being part chauffer, part caddy!
I claimed to be the team cheerleader! Mostly I just drove the cart in a wild manner. Here’s some fun pictures from the day…
Blake with his mom and sister!
The Alexander ladies!
The whole team
After golfing Blake had to head to work but I stayed for the party which included delicious pulled pork! yummmmm my favorite!
Sunday was spent sleeping in…then we headed out to breakfast. We finally figured out how to order breakfast for the two of us. Blake doesn’t eat eggs but everything always come with eggs. He also likes big variety of breakfast foods like the Denny’s Lumberjack slam…but we didn’t do to Denny’s so we ordered two regular breakfasts and a side of French toast, because I was in the mood for some delicious French toast! We piled all the eggs on my plate and I had a piece of bacon! It was perfect! Then he was able to have a little bit of everything without asking for a million changes to the menu.
After breakfast we checked out a few houses for sale, we are in the beginning discussions about possible buying a house. Which is exciting and terrifying. I’m a huuuuge worrier so we will have to see what happens.
We also spent some more time hanging out with Blake’s parents. We don’t see them very often, and I seriously miss seeing his Mom everyday. It was nice to relax and chat with them. By the time we got home last night, I was pooped and hit the hay early.
Today has been your basic Monday. Except I didn’t get a headache which rocks! After work I stopped by Maurice’s to see if they had this dress (in blue) in stock, but they did but not (in my size).
I think I’m going to order it online. I tried it on in a medium and a XL but neither worked. The medium fit well!! But was seriously short, I think a large would be best. Luckily, I have a coupon and gift card so it shouldn’t cost me a dime!
Then it was gym time! Today was Upper Body followed by 20 minutes on the Stairmaster. I finally figured out how to use the dang stepper! The higher the level the bigger the step! I always felt like I was taking these super tiny steps and it was so annoying! So now I finally got it figured it out.
I also had to stop at the grocery store real quick, which led to grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner! Yum.
Anyways…this has become a long and boring post! So I’m outta here. I have a load of laundry to fold and some sleep to get!
Picking A Workout Plan
YES! Another week is nearly over! I’m pumped for the weekend, its my mother-in-laws birthday so I will watching people golf. Then Sunday we are going hiking again, yippee!
So let’s talk about picking a workout plan…
Finding a workout plan can be quite daunting. A quick Google search will bring up hundreds of results…all claiming to be the best. They are all different! Its seriously overwhelming.
The key to picking a workout plan is picking one you enjoy that will get you the results you want. That’s right the number one key to picking the perfect workout plan is to find you enjoy. The fact is that you if HATE the plan you most likely won’t stick to it.
When looking for a workout plan you want to keep in mind 4 areas for improvement: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and flexibility. Basically, you want your lungs to be strong and you want strong muscles that can work for a long time that are stretchy! (Please keep in mind I am no expert, if you would like an expert’s advice… see a doctor or trainer!)
Personally, I’ve always struggled to hit all four areas. I tend to be higher on the cardio side than anything. It comes with being a runner, but lately I’ve been trying to focus on the weight lifting. Still lacking in flexibility…so I need to step it up there.
There are plenty of place to find good quality workout plans, your local library or bookstore will have a good selection. Health and fitness magazines from the grocery store plus there tons of them online. You can also use a set of DVDs like the Insanity program or Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution. Or you could have one personally tailored for you by a personal trainer.
One of my newest favorite websites for finding workout plans is www.BodyBuilding.com. This place is amazing! There is so many plans to choose from and they have a ton of information. Every workout plan is accompanied by video clips for each move, nutrition plans, and even supplement (vitamins, protein and things of that nature) information if that’s something interests you. They also offer a little quiz based on your personal information to help narrow things down.
I recently decided to step up my weight program to try and build some guns muscles. The first program I picked was not the best one for me. It had a lot of moves that require a lot of different machines and truth be told it was a pain! One, I don’t have a workout partner so I felt unsure about doing things that require a spotter and secondly, my gym is very busy. I was spending a lot of time waiting for machines. Not cool. My first thought was to just substitute things so that it was more accessible for me.
However, while I was researching I found a new plan! Its perfect! It doesn’t have junk that hate…like burpees or box jumps. Its well rounded -3 days of weight training, 2 days of full cardio, and 2 days of rest/yoga. It also includes extra cardio on two of the weight days which I really like because it gives me the extra calorie burn. Here’s a link to the plan.
I’m really happy with my new plan. It uses all the different cardio machines (bikes, treadmills, elliptical, Stairmaster) so its not the same thing everyday. Today I used the spin bike for 40 minutes and it was killer! I was soaked…if the plan hadn’t specific to use the bike I would have just run like I always do. This plan uses a few machines but it also uses dumbbells which are easy to access and I can even do it at home if I can’t get to the gym.
The last tip I have for you is- don’t be afraid to try something else. If you are currently spending hours on the elliptical but not happy with it try Zumba or Spinning. Keep trying until you find something you really like. You have to try new things until you find the one that works for you. Feeling stuck into a workout plan is the worst! I always have to keep my workouts fresh.
And that’s all I have tonight! See ya later!
Going Through The Routine
Good Evening!
The last few day have been very routine, and I like it! I meant to write a post but I got this random urge to clean the house, so I had to go with it…I never get the urge to clean! I picked up the bedroom, did some laundry including folding millions of socks. The sock drawer runith over!
Other than that, nothing too exciting has happened.
Wake up. Work. Gym. Home. Bed.
That’s life.
I’ll come back tomorrow with some information on my new weight lifting plan!
Happy Wednesday!
New Motto & Weekly Plans (5/27-6/1)
Howdy-Duty! This long weekend has been nice!
Yesterday we went down to the festival to get some yummy food, we shared an Italian sausage sandwich & a pulled pork sandwich. We also tried some cake pops but decided mine are much better! For dessert Blake had a funnel cake and I had part of caramel apple, but it was way too sweet for my sensitive teeth.
Then we headed to the grocery store to load up on produce! 
Let’s see, we have kale, mango, nectarines, broccoli, cauliflower, bananas, sweet potatoes, limes, cherries, green pepper, avocado, and cilanto! I also got some Gouda, chicken sausages with spinach and mozzarella, Greek yogurt, corn tortillas, and chicken (not pictured). Talk about good stuff! Also not picture is a bag of spinach and bag of romaine.
I feel so excited about eating healthy, fresh, and delicious food this week. I already prepped everything…
I grilled up the chicken and the sausages, roasted up the cauliflower, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. Sautéed the kale with a little bit of olive oil, garlic, onion, and chicken broth. Chopped up the pepper and onion for salads and made a double batch of my favorite new rice & quinoa medley. Perfection.
I’ve already made some really yummy stuff.
Kale, rice & quinoa with a chicken sausage. Yum. Best. Dinner. Ever.
And then there is this delicious salad, lettuce & spinach with chicken, avocado, gouda and raspberry dressing.
I’m totally pumped to make more yummy meals. Tonight we had tacos but I forgot to take picture.
The workout plan this week includes:
Monday: Shoulders & cardio (done: 566 cals burned)
Tuesday: Legs & cardio
Wednesday: Chest/Abs
Thursday: Legs & Shoulders
Friday: Back & Yoga
Saturday: Arms & Cardio
Sunday: REST
My cardio will be a combination of walking & running. I also want to try this spinning workout from Coffee Cake & Cardio!
I’m really feeling great this week. I’ve adopted a new motto this week.
(found on Google)
Last week I was talking to a coworker about how I’m happy with the way I look, I just want to lose 20 more pounds in order to fit the standard set by the BMI chart. Well, I’m over it. I don’t need to fit the standard set by some doctors who know nothing about me. I am healthy. Sure I have some extra fat, but I am a healthy 26 year old woman. Being healthy is so much more than weighing a certain amount. Its more than fitting a chart. Its more than a certain size of pants.
Its taken a long time to get to this point. Man, it really feels liberating! Being healthy is about feeling good. Its about letting go of the self hate. Its about enjoying life. Its about living!
I’ve changed my life in the last few years, and I feel so refreshed and recharged going to this stage of life. Life is good!
Moses Lake Spring Fest 10k Recap
Hello! I sure hope everyone if off enjoying the day!
Thank you to all our servicemen and their families for their sacrifices made for our country.
Our town celebrates Memorial weekend with a big 4 day festival complete with carnival, parade, lip sync contest, concerts, a car show and even a movie in the park! There is also a fun run and triathlon. (Trust me, I am no hurry to do another triathlon!) The company that organized the race, BuDuRacing is great! I was able to pick up my race packet the day before at the Civic Center, it took less than five minutes. Gotta love that!
I woke up early to make sure I could get breakfast in early enough that I wouldn’t get a stomach ache. I also managed to forget my bib number at home and realized when I was almost there so I had to turn around. Luckily, I was able to park within steps of the starting line.
I felt pretty great at the start!
Sadly that went downhill pretty fast. Within two miles I was so miserable I turned off my Nike+ app because I just couldn’t handle hearing how slow I was going. I felt terrible. I had stomach pain and side stitches and chest pain. I wish I could explain it but I just can’t, all of my runs have been like this lately. I wanted to have fun not be miserable and in pain. So I walked when I needed to, and ran when I had second (or third or even fourth) wind!
In the end, I finished in 57 minutes, which isn’t too bad considering the circumstances. That put me 4th in my age group.
The is another 10k in two weeks that I was initially planning to run, it could be a comeback or might skip it. I just want to wait and see how I feel. I find my focus shifting a little bit from running right now. Right now, I’m just enjoying life. I don’t need to force myself to run when it feels terrible, there are other ways to get my workouts done. Running will always be there.
Here’s the race tee.
Anyway. That the race. I feel pretty refreshed starting this week. I’ll be back later today with a workout plan.
Race Weekend
It’s the weekend!!
Our office closed at 4:00 pm today, so that means an hour of holiday pay! Right after worked I headed downtown to pick up my bib number number and race packet for the Spring Fest 10k tomorrow.
How cool is it that I’m number 5! I love being at the top of the alphabet now, I moved from R to A when I got married…so that’s awesome. Makes me want to go back to be school so I can be called first in roll!
I’m hoping tomorrows run will be a great one. My last several runs have been rough! But I’m optimistic. I’d love to get a PR but I won’t be mad if I don’t, I will just do my best. I’m doing this race because I love running.
This week I tried some thing new at the gym which left me crazy sore for several days so I took yesterday off completely. Today I think I do some yoga maybe go a for a little walk since it seems like the rain has stopped. I just want to have fresh legs tomorrow.
After the race, I will be working at the coffee stand for an afternoon shift. It will be pretty fun because I haven’t been there in almost two months! Wow! I miss the customers, plus delicious delicious coffee! mmmm…
Lastly the winner of the KLUTCH Box giveaway is comment number 9…Rachel! Congrats! I sent you an email to get your address!
I’m thinking of another good giveaway so one will coming at you soon!
I’ll check in tomorrow with a race report!
Time To Ask An Expert
Hello & Happy Hump Day!
Its been another busy week at work, we haven’t had to work late but each day is packed with a lot work. It seems tedious at times but that’s ok.
This week I’ve decided to try something completely new and terrifying at the gym. I’ve ventured into the weight room. I feel embarrassed and dumb in there with all the big muscle men, but whatever. Yesterday, one guy had to explain how to use a leg press machine, he was very friendly but I was still embarrassed. Today the cable machine was very popular and I got sick of waiting, so I looked up an alternative for the move.
I’ll share more about my new plan once I’ve done it a little more. I can tell you that its kicking my butt!
I’ve also been dead tired this week. This isn’t new information, how many times have I complained about having no energy? I can’t understand why I’m so tired all the time. I get plenty of sleep, plenty of exercise, enough calories, lots of water, typically one cup of coffee per day. I just don’t get it. I think its time to ask my doctor. I’ve been postponing my yearly appointment anyway so I just need to get done and over with.
All and all, I’d say I’m just trucking along! I’m really looking forward to the long weekend, plus my second 10k. Hope you are having a great week!
