Eating lunch on the go!!!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!

How was your Fathers Day Weekend??? Mine was very eventful! On Fathers day we surprised my dad with a trip to a Pirate Festival near Vallejo, CA! It was a really neat experience complete with live "Mermaids" and a real pirate ship that shot off real canons!

Here are some pictures full of "Piratitude!" ARRRRGH!

It's always fun to get out of town and spend time with your family! 

I feel that one of the hardest things about having a healthy lifestyle is knowing where to go, or what to order while dining out. No matter what adventures are ahead of you that day, its always difficult to stay on track. Most of us live very busy lives, whether its squeezing some sort of lunch at work, or running errands all day and entertaining your kids at the same time, lets face it....most of us don't always have time to prepare a healthy meal. 

In order to be successful its good to have some healthy options in mind before you even walk out the door. Lately i have been trying to do some research for you guys, and find places where you can go in a jiffy to get some healthy meals. So many people think Lean Cuisines and Subway are viable options. Lean cuisines NEVER fill me up personally, and it causes me to snack the rest of the day on what ever is near by. Plus they are full of chemicals and things that aren't really too good for you. Now subway isnt too terrible, its a better option than lots of other places you can choose, but once you order a footlong sandwich, that is a footlong of bread thats enriched, has lots of sugar, and other garbage, not to mention some of the sauces you slather on there. I would say at Subway, PROCEED WITH CAUTION! 

Here are some cool things i've found. Now i understand not all of my readers may have access to some of these places, but you can use some of the ideas at your local favorites!! 

#1 The Sandwich Spot/Yuba City

Lettuce Wraps

These bad boys were DELICIOUS and super filling. At The Sandwich Spot you can make ANY sandwich there into four lettuce wraps. But be CAREFUL! Not all the sandwiches are still a healthy choice even if you say Nix to the bread. Things like meat ball sandwiches or tuna sandwiches soaked in mayo are health nightmares.  I chose the "Dotties Club Sandwich". It had oven roasted turkey breast, avocado, and bacon on it. (Bacon is good for you, your body still needs fats, and its  a good kind of fat. (If you eat paleo style, you understand what i mean!) I didnt stop at just taking the bread off, i also opted for no "secret sauce" and no mayo. Mustard is a great way to still sauce up your sandwiches or lettuce wraps but it also is low fat and really great for you. These four HUGE roll ups cost me about $8.65 including tax. 

#2 7-11 (believe it or not)

Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

I wont lie, i was a little skeptical about getting a salad from the seven eleven...but as i dug in to its fruity/ chickeny goodness i was pleasantly surprised! It was very fresh, and the ingredients were of very good quality. This salad features all white meat chicken breast, apples, dried cranberries, romaine lettuce, walnuts, and i believe feta cheese. Including the dressing this salad is a responsible choice at a mere 340 calories! caloriecount.com gives it a rating of A-.  Plus its a really quick solution for lunch, just grab and go! Its already made! A great idea is to pick it up on the way to work when you're already at 7-11 grabbing your coffee and banana ( i know you're not getting a donut!!!).

#3 Starbucks

Protein Bistro Box

The Starbucks Protein Bistro box is a convenient and delicious way to eat well. Most of us stop at starbucks on a daily basis anyway so why not pick up lunch or even breakfast ahead of time? This box has a good variety of smart choices including sliced apples, grapes, cheese, peanut butter, a bread thingy (What the hell would you call that thing?), and a hard boiled egg. All in all this box is a pretty good choice, theres just one item i would skip personally. I would skip the bread all together and use my apple slices to eat the peanut butter with. Im not a bread hater, i just like to know exactly what is in my bread, and most of the time there's a lot of sugars and mystery ingredients in breads that come from a restaurant. This Box is obviously a great source of protein and its packed with foods that will give you a natural energy boost!! For $4.95 it's an inexpensive way to indulge! 

 I have really enjoyed eating these three items, and i always feel full and satisfied afterwards.  Happy lunching!!! 

Love,

Pookie

Battle Ready

Hello Everyone! I hope you had a great weekend!!



I had a great weekend myself. Minus the ridiculous temperature of about 110 degrees i had a fun time DJing a friends wedding, dancing the night away, and partying. I wish i could tell you that i stayed on track with my dieting! But i didn't....

Thats one of the hardest parts of being successful on your fitness journey. Its always hard to be disciplined and have a good time when you dont have alot of healthy options around you. After eating some serious pasta at the wedding, having a few beers, and one giant and hilarious cupcake food fight later i had completely obliterated any hope of staying on course. In all fairness i didnt actually get to EAT the cupcake, it was mostly in my hair, and all over my face! HAHAHA

The Results of the Cupcake War! 

*My Mom is going to kill me for putting this on here! 

Even though we made a TON of wonderful memories that night, i totally felt terrible the next day. I actually missed my plain foods and salads. Plus i had a nice little hangover too. 

There is nothing wrong with having fun, and every once and a while you can embrace a "cheat meal" and feel fine. I feel that since i am in the very beginning of this journey i need to avoid cheat meals for now, and stay on track... 

Finally yesterday i went back to the gym, with my new little gym scanning key chainy thing i felt like i could conquer the world! Boy was i wrong! After the first 15 minutes of working out with Junior ( my boyfriend, who is a total muscle man) I started feeling terrible! I realized how truly out of shape i am. Everything hurt more than it used to. I got tired faster, and i hated what i was seeing in the big mirrors at the gym. All the thoughts in my mind were like little bullies telling me "Hey, Look how fat you are! You can't do this! Everyone is watching you! Everyone thinks you are a total joke! Everyone here looks better than you! Everyone can't believe that guy who is so in shape is with someone as out of shape as you!" These were all exactly the thoughts going on in my head last night. Out of breath, and already so sore after fifteen minutes into my workout, i sat down for a minute and wanted to just bawl my eyes out! How did i let myself get like this? I was so angry. 

Then i said HELL NO!... to my thoughts, to all my fears, and to my body that was already quitting on me. How can i allow myself to cave and quit AGAIN?!! Thats what i have always done. After a drink of water, and getting my head in the right place, i went back at it! 

Today i'm sore and i'm ready to just sleep in bed and watch movies all day, but most importantly i feel good mentally. I feel happy that i'm fighting my hardest struggle. You can do it too! Theres nothing wrong with falling down over and over as long as you get back up! 

I Can't wait to go back to the gym later tonight! 

Love,

Pookie 

My New Favorite Tools!!!

Hey everyone!!!

It's almost the weekend, you have almost survived another week! How did you do? Did you accomplish any of your fitness goals? Did you make a healthy choice at lunch? One good choice can propell you to success by motivating you and reassuring you that you can make another good choice the next time, and the next, and the next!! i hope you have your healthy snowball rolling!

This week i am happy to say that even though it was hard at some moments, i have eaten really healthy, and im feeling so energized and great! Since monday i have lost 5 pounds. I didnt really expect it to happen so fast, but hey, who's complaining. i didnt starve myself, in fact i ate MORE!

Now i'm going to share some cool discoveries with you guys, they are helping me, maybe they can help you!

MyFitnessPal: App

 

 

This is the IDEAL app for keeping yourself accountable. It also takes away all the guess work about how many calories youve taken in, and how much you have left. You can also log all of your exercises in. Over time if you are dedicated to using the app it will show you your progress! I'm really looking forward to using it along with my gym membership. I cant wait to see all my results.  

 

 

Fitness Magazine:

 

 

 

So far fitness magazine has been a key element to keeping me motivated! Unlike other magazines it shows REAL women working on their fitness, sharing tips, and recipes. We all know i love a good recipe. This magazine is so positive and inspiring. It includes great workouts, question and answer columns, and really interesting articles that can help all kinds of people trying to get fit. Plus it also has the fun fashiony articles that regular womens magazines have. This is pretty much the only magazine i buy now!!

 

 

 

Bai Antioxidant Superfood Infusions:

 

 

All i can say is WOW!!! i actually found this drink at South Butte Market in Sutter. Who would have known?? This is now my new favorite drink over Diet Pepsi, Coffee or even my beloved white monster energy drinks! The Limu Lemon Bai flavor is so refreshing and tastes like homemade lemonade! i was shocked at how good it tasted especially since it only has 5 Calories, 1 gram of sugar, and 0 carbs! Its paleo too!! so YAY for that! Alot of stores are carrying this drink now, and South Butte Market carries them for 2 for $3. Oh and the best part is that it has caffiene in it!! it totally gave me the jolt i needed. I "discovered" this drink at about 7pm last night, and you can bet your sweet booty that i drank both bottles! BAD MISTAKE!!! this is a great drink for the morning, to get you through mid day, or even before a workout. DO NOT drink this close to bed time, my wired self was up until two in the morning. I didnt feel jittery or cracked out, hahaha. I just felt like i could take on the world!! I give these drinks a 10 out of 10!

 

 

Frozen Banana Slices:

 

 

 

I think i couldnt be a successful dieter (i hate that word) if i didnt start making these. I simply peel and slice the banana in meduim sized coins and put them in the freezer, either on a cookie sheet or in a ziplock bag. Freeze over night and enjoy the next day. They taste just like Ice Cream!!! The hardest time for me to be good with my healthy choices is at night time when my sweet tooth starts teasing me into submission. I usually dont care for the texture of bananas but i LOVE the flavor. So once i tried these frozen beauties i was hooked. The texture is ice creamy dreamy! i have had these for the past two nights and my cravings were totally satisfied. Cravings-0, Rebecca-1. 







Hopefully these little goodies ive written about will help you!
I have lots of good ideas for future blog posts, and im also going to be creating a Practically Pookie Facebook page that you can add and give me some suggestions on things youd like to hear more about or have me research for you!

Lets make good, healthy choices together this weekend!!! It's never too late to get your fitness snowball rolling!!!

Love,
Pookie

Well Happy Friday Guys!!

It has been almost a month since my last post. I know you have been chomping at the bit for a new post
 ( NOT! lol)

The reason for the delay was because I had to get a lumpectomy on my right breast and i have been recovering from that. The results came back very positive, its not cancerous. It was a very long and scary experience. About 5 months of dealing with ultrasounds, failed mammograms, and trying to fight to get the lump removed. Even though the lump was not cancerous, the peace of mind i have gained from this experience is so worth it. No matter how young you are always pay attention, and be your own advocate. Fight for what you feel needs to be done for YOUR body! I am so thankful to have dealt with such wonderful doctors. Breast Cancer can happen to anyone at any age!

Check out the cutest breast exam poster ever made below...

During my recovery time I definitely ate some serious comfort foods, and threw all healthy dieting out the window, and i had to pretty much rest for about two weeks so i didnt exercise either. After the two week period of recovery i seriously packed on about 10 pounds. This caused me to be at the HEAVIEST weight i have ever been! (about 191 pounds. BOO HOO HOO!!) Now i am so motivated and determined to get to my BEST weight ever! It's not fun when your "Fat" clothes dont even fit you...plus its practically summer.

So in the next week i will be getting my gym membership back and experimenting with all kinds of really cool and interesting things like a full week cleanse of just eating fruit and veggies, and drinking water. Ive done this before and i love how it makes me feel a week later. Its not about dropping quick weight, its about recharging your system! 

Also im excited to learn about juicing!! so stay tuned to learn about it with me! 

In a few days i will be posting pictures and a list of the tools i will be using for my weight loss journey, and feel free to copy me if you like them! 

Here's to getting into shape and creating your ideal body, whatever weight and size that is!! 

Please FOLLOW my blog! i would love you forever!! 

Have a good weekend!! 

Love,

Pookie!!

Costa Vida Knock Off: Sweet Beef Salad

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

I hope you all had a great weekend, I did!! Lots of margaritas, enchiladas, and ice cream later i'm feeling a little pudgy. The scale looked at me on monday morning and screamed at me! hahaha. Oh well. Whats life worth if you cant indulge once in a while. Plus it was Cinco de Mayo so i had to celebrate, and i officially had the best margaritas EVER on sunday. Thank goodness my parents have talented friends! And not to mention my mom made her famous white enchiladas!

Now that i gained the four pounds back that I lost last week its time to get back to work!! Even though i like to eat healthy, and Junior has to eat SUPER healthy to get to shipping weight for the Marines ( they could ship him off any time now...) i still like to make healthy meals that taste downright sinful. Thats where my recipe for a Shredded Sweet Beef Salad comes in! Its a total re-do of the Costa Vida Sweet Pork Salad. There isnt a salad in the world that i love more than a Costa Vida Salad! So i wanted to re-vamp it to be healthy! It turned out soooo good and you couldnt even notice all the calories that i kicked out of the original recipe.

Rebecca's Costa Vida Knock Off Sweet Beef Salad:

 

 

 



 

Sweet Beef Recipe:

 

For the sweet beef you are going to want to use your crockpot.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1. One bonelss beef roast about 5 lbs.

 

2. A low sugar bbq sauce

 

3. Organic low sugar Ketchup

 

4. One 12oz bottle of Diet Coke

 

 

Step 1: Set crockpot on low. Add Beef to crockpot.

 

Step 2: Pour a generous amount of BBQ and Ketchup all over the beef. Spread around the entire beef roast

 

Step 3: Pour bottle of Diet Coke into the crock pot

 

Step 4: Put the lid on the crockpot and let it slow cook for around 6-7 hours.

 

-After 6-7 hours the beef sould be very tender and falling apart. ( Never cook the beef on High, i made this mistake and had to hand shred the beef, it also made the beef SUPER tough)

 

 

 

Now for the salad:

 

You will need-

 

1. chopped romaine lettuce

 

2. two cups of my sassy strawberry salsa ( you can find that in recipe in my last blog entry.)

 

3. 2 Avacoados peeled and diced

 

4. Feta Cheese to sprinkle over the entire salad.

 

5. Steamed rice (white or brown, you can squirt lemon juice over the rice if you'd like, i recommend it!)

 

Step 1: Put down a layer of rice on the plate.

Step 2: Add a bed of lettuce on top of the rice

Step 3: Then place your cooked shredded beef on top of lettuce

Step 4: Then top it with your Strawberry salsa, and avacado chunks.

Step 5: Sprinkle the salad with the Feta cheese.

Step 6: Then pour over the cilantro ranch dressing ( Recipe below)

ENJOY!!!

 

Cilantro Ranch:

 

i didnt get very fancy with this, but it tasted fancy. I actually didnt plan on making this dressing, but then i was like HEY!! why not? and boy am i glad that I did!

 

Here it goes:

 

I used the rest of our vegan ranch we bought at Whole Foods, they also have it at New Earth Market!

 

 

 

This ranch is definitely alot better for you compared to regular ranch, and i think it tastes so much better!

 

So i took about 4 table spoons of this ranch and poured it into my blender, then i added about 1 cup of cilantro, stems and all into the blender. I blended it together and TA-DAAA! Delicioso!

 

 

Pour this over your salad and fall in love! I cut about 400 calories out of the original recipe from Costa Vida! I think this was another success in Pookies kitchen!!  I hope its a success in your kitchen as well. I know it looks like alot of steps, but it really isnt and you'll have leftovers for days! The beef even tastes better the next day after its absorbed even more of the juices!!

 

Kicking butt one recipe at time...

 

Love,

 Pookie

 

 

 





 

 

 

Sassy and Simple Summer Yummies!

First of all I would like to thank each and everyone of you who read my first blog post. As you can see I have changed the background, and I'm also experimenting with customizing and learning all the detalis involved with having a blog worth following.

In the past 24 hours my blog has been visited by sweet people like yourself over 100 times!! I was pretty shocked that so many people checked it out! Thank you again!! Please follow my blog, it's really easy to do!

Okay so a couple days ago I was in the mood for light and refreshing but HEALTHY things i could pre-make easily and eat all week. I decided to make Greek Salad, Kale chips (i'm still experimenting with getting those to a texture i like, so i wont be posting about them just yet...) and my Sweet and Sassy Strawberry Salsa! (say that three times fast!) They were so amazing, Junior loved both the salad and the salsa so im going to chalk this one up as a success! I'll share the recipes with you guys now...

I spent about $12 on the groceries needed to make both dishes.

SWEET AND SASSY STRAWBERRY SALSA

Ingredients Needed :
-2 boxes of fresh strawberries
-Bunch of Cilantro
-About 3-4 Jalepenos
-Half of a purple onion
-Lime Juice
-Palmful of sea salt

Okay now the fun part!

Step one: Cut the strawberries in half and dice into small pieces. You could also use a food proccessor and chop them up that way. I dont have one of those fancy gadgets so i had to do it the old fashioned way.

Step Two: Finely dice the jalepenos. I cored them out first and took all the seeds out because i have a "Baby Tongue" as Junior calls my inability to eat spicy things. Add the jalepeno pecies to the strawberries you already put in a bowl.

Step Three: Dice the onion, and chop the cilantro into REALLY small pieces. When you are done doing that, throw it in the bowl.

Step Four: Drizzle the lime juice over it all and sprinkle the salt over it too....then mix it all up!

Step Five: Crack open a bag of tortilla chips ( We LOVE Don Pancho Chips from Winco in our family) or keep it light and healthy and eat it with some celery sticks!

This is now my new favorite kind of salsa, plus its totally Paleo, it doesnt have any added sugar or other junk that ups the calorie counts. It all just fruits and vegetables (not including the salt) and it tastes so summery! I hope you like it too! Please feel free to comment about your experience making it below in the comment box!

GREEK SALAD

Ingredients Needed:

-About 5-6 large cucumbers
-3 cups of cherry tomatoes
-Two cans of sliced black olives
-Half of a large purple onion
-Feta Cheese
-Bottle of a light greek dressing

Step one: Cut the cucumbers in half and then chop them up in medium sized slices
Step two: Cut the cherry tomatoes in half
Step three: Chop the onion into small slices
Step four: Add all the veggies into a  big bowl or tupperware container (preferably something with a lid because this amount could last you and your family a few days in the fridge)
Step Five: Drain the olives and add them to the bowl
Step Six: Add a good amount of the feta cheese crumbles ( I say the more, the merrier)
Step Seven: Pour dressing all over salad
Step Eight: Let the salad chill in the fridge for about 30 min and ENJOY!

This recipe is great for everyday and any kind of party. Your guests will love it!


Happy chopping, hopefully you dont cry too much from the onions!!

With a full belly and a happy heart i wish you good luck!!

Love,
Pookie

The Starting Line...

Hey everyone!!



My name is Rebecca and i'm a 20 year old California girl. I have lived in the same small town my entire life and sometimes i cant wait to finally leave. My life is going through alot of changes lately. The two biggest changes are that i'm starting the hard but exciting journey of trying to get this body of mine into shape. Also my boyfriend is joining the United States Marine Core. He will shipping out really soon!!



I thought writing blog would be a fun way for me to share all my adventures, recipe successes and failures. There are lots of other people who want to get healthy or are in my same shoes of learning to live a good chunk of your next year without your significant other...Why cant we all write blogs and inspire and support eachother?!

First of all this is NOT a "health" blog that focuses all the emotion and attention into being  size two models. I have nothing against models, or really skinny people, i personally would just like to stay curvy and wonderful, but get toned too. My boyfriend personally loves my "Phat" ass as he calls it. (He has to put the P.H. in front of it or i'll get pissy. HAHA) I dont aim to be societys idea of perfection. In my mind thats boring. This will be a blog about good, healthy recipies, sharing about experiences at the gym (maybe even bitching about it sometimes too), and all the things that encompass becoming your idea of a sexier you.

Also this blog is about all kinds of other awesome tid bits and things that we can enjoy to make each of our days a little better! Basically even if you arent looking for health info, or you arent the significant other of a future soldier, or of a current member of the military this blog can still be for you. It a blog for anyone that loves sillyness, and most of all REALNESS!!

Happy Thursday! Only one more day til the weekend! HOLLA!!!

Love,
Pookie! XOXO